Boreal looked at her suspiciously at first, but then the cautious glare turned into a smile. Oh Cal, you were far, far more than I thought you were. She sees. That's a first. Most people just see Dale as the perfect one, the best one. They don't pay attention to me, they don't acknowledge my achievements. While I am shunned and reviled, he takes the spotlight! But not with this one. She sees. The rest of them are his thralls though. If she wishes to help, then she shall have to be willing to cast aside the guild if it means they all follow that fool. And she sees that I'm not evil. They all assume, I'm sure he's spun it that way. All I do is in the name of justice, to avenge a fallen father, a noble man. If anything, Dale should be with me! Father did all he could, but I know this is what he would have wanted. For me to do what he could not, to surpass him, to strive to be better. I do it here father, I surpass you. With Calxiyn and those meagre friends of mine, I shall destroy Deliora! But of course, what can Cal do exactly? "Well then Cal, you say you wish to help me? I see you're no mindless pawn like the others. You see Dale for what he is. He wasn't there when father died, when I was forced to watch his sacrifice. It's time for me to bring justice to this demon." He watched with satisfaction as she bowed her head respectfully to him. He placed her down on the ground and walked towards her. He felt good. Powerful. Finally, someone else acknowledged him. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head up to look into his eyes. "I wouldn't want you to be hurt in all this though. So, Cal, what can you do? How can you help me face Deliora? You admitted yourself that you weren't that powerful. Show me what you can do." Boreal removed his finger from her chin and stepped back, waiting for her to show him her skills. Because Cal was too lazy to post it herself and insisted that Al did it for her, Boreal observed that a strange mask fell out of Calxiyn's pocket. It was black and looked vaguely suspicious. Boreal looked at it, and back at Cal. "What is that?" Boreal asked, folding his arms.
"What are you doing you fool? This was safe until he started screwing with it anyway! Iced Shell doesn't melt, it should be impossible!" Dale shouted as Cal flew away. "Or at least very difficult." He added quietly. He bunched his fists up and coated his right hand in ice, slamming it into a stalagmite and punching the tip off. He dissipated the ice around his hand and growled angrily. He was vaguely aware that he had all but shouted over Ander during that tirade, but he didn't care much, although he heard the aforementioned trying to talk to him. It seemed he was apologising. That shook him out of the rage and brought him back to reality a little. A small smiled appeared in the corner of his mouth. Finally a little humility from him. At least something good came of all this business. "It's fine Ander, there's nothing you could have done. He'd have only captured you, even killed you. He's stronger than me, far more so. You'd barely have held him up. Only as a team would we have a chance, and now it seems we're down one." Dale replied. He wiped his brow and leaned against another rock. It occurred to him how worn out he was by all of this. This mission... It's dangerous but I'm glad we did it. We needed to stop him. And we needed to stop my brother. At least he's alive. I never thought I'd see him again, let alone meet again like this. "Thanks for scouting it out Charlotte." And then Gaius appeared, seemingly by his side. Even though Gaius called him an ass, it didn't seem like an offensive way. It wasn't really so much an insult. Just, something that was said. And just an open admittance of providing help... He allowed himself to smile a little more and looked downwards. Gaius had been quiet a while, so it was nice to hear the first things he said after that period of silence be something actually supporting him. He looked at Gaius and nodded. "Thanks Gaius. It's good to know someone else has got my back." Dale said. Then Veilen spoke up and gave his support too. He unclenched his fists and looked up towards the cave entrance. He stepped forwards and turned so he was facing everyone. He felt like it was time to say something. Something different. "Thank you all for your support. I know that it's strange to hear this from me of all people, but thanks. It helps. In any case, we're on a timer. We don't know how long we've got until Deliora is released from his prison, so we'd better move fast. Steel yourselves, we're in for a tough fight ahead. We don't know where Cal is, but we can assume she's no longer on our side, so we'll have to make do without her. Follow me everyone. As Gaius aptly put it, let's beat a little sense into my brother." Dale spoke, turning around and striding forwards confidently out of the cave, staff in hand. Boreal, Cal, it's time to end this folly! He was preparing. The Moondrip was almost complete from what he had seen of Deliora. He paced around atop the temple, inscribing the required symbols on the stone ground of the temple, pouring magic into them. It was a quiet task, a merciful break from the day's cacophony. From Dale. The very name made his blood boil. Dale. You dared interfere with my vengeance. Were you there on that day then perhaps father wouldn't be dead. Perhaps if you were never born I'd have had a father. You've taken everything from me, but I'll not let you take mastery of magic, With that, I shall crush you and we'll soon see which is the better of us. He looked up at the moon and smiled at it. My weapon. So much research and I found you. I never knew the power of the moon. He continued to draw out the signs. Suddenly, a shout pierced his peace. Calxiyn. Damn. I miscalculated. They found her. She couldn't have broke free herself which means... They've found her, and they've found Deliora. Now then, let us find what she's doing exactly. He stood to his feet and as she soared over the crest of the temple, he reached out his hand. "Ice-Make Grasping Claw!" Boteal declared, a hand of ice extending from his own and enclosing Cal. She was drawn in and held up in front of him, her arms clamped to her sides by the frozen hand so she couldn't move. He looked at her with his steel eyes. "What do you want with me? Come to talk me down? Tell me what I'm doing is a mistake? Did Dale put you up to this, or was it your idealistic self?" Their attacks had been quite effective and she watched with satisfaction as their attacks chipped large chunks out of the creature. Looks like they didn't have much to worry about, this is almost done. They'd better have that boat ready otherwise we're going to put them to shame. And they call themselves soldiers. The success of the fight so far had put her in good spirits, and she carried an easy smile and a determined look in her eyes as she attacked. It was so easy. Sometimes it was intense, but this felt like barely a concern. It was just so slow. She turned around and lined up for another attack. She almost laughed as she twisted her body and launched into another rapid series of attacks. I wish all fights could be like this. I think it's because this one feels far more relaxed. It doesn't feel like there's so many stakes, or pressure, and it's all of us against this one opponent that we're taking apart rock by rock. Alessia used Blitz
Dale turned around and looked at Cal with an expression of amused shock. Wow, I did not think you were like that Cal! It's true but still, of all the people for it to come from. And then her sharp tongue turned to him, and the amusement slid away. How dare she? She accuses me of not knowing and yet she knows nothing herself! What does she know of my family? It wasn't my choice to abandon Boreal. None of this was my choice. It's not my fault we don't have a father and it's not my fault that Boreal didn't have his attention while he was alive! "What do you know of me you little brat?" Dale began, his voice a low growl. He approached her, towering over her and looking down, his face contorted into a snarl. "What do you know of my family? The choices my father made and the fates we were both consigned to? What do you know of me for that matter? Nothing. You don't know a single thing. I suppose I'd better educate you since you proclaim to know so much about some people that you barely know! Right then, little history lesson here Cal and you'd better bloody well pay attention. And maybe learn to stop running that fool mouth of yours, so casually pronouncing judgement on people for things that you know nothing of!" "Me and Boreal share a father- And it was our father that caused this mess in the first place. If you must know, then Boreal is my older half-brother. Three years after fathering Boreal, our father found my mother, fell in love with her, had me and married her. In that order. Because of this, my father left Boreal behind with that woman. They rarely saw each other, my father would make clandestine visits pleading work and visit her to give her money and visit Boreal. So it wasn't me that abandoned him, blame that on my father and him not wanting his wife to find out about his other child. It was a bit of dirty business that he didn't want our mother to know about. So then, Cal, who abandoned him exactly? And how do I know about him? After my mother died, we met up with Boreal and his mother a couple of times, wanting to finally be honest about things with me. Boreal never liked me in the first place and that only got worse after dad decided to focus on raising me rather than him. I'd been taught my static ice-make magic by my dad for years, but evidently he taught my brother too which I found out very, very quickly. He has never liked me. He started a grudge and I could never reach out to him." "Then things got uglier. You see, my mother's family found out too and they weren't all that happy about the secret that he had kept. The fact that he had been using the money he had raised for their daughter's family on some woman they figured he just dallied with and then poof, accidents happen. They got angry, spread rumours about us and then everyone chased us out of town with the help of a couple of dark guild roughs that torched the place. Now guild work had been hard on poor old dad, so we wound up living at the guild. They'd have got rid of Boreal too, but they didn't know him or his mother exactly so it never happened. He brought only me with him. So, Boreal got left behind. Then one day a few years ago, my Dad went out to fight Deliora. We'd all heard of it but he went out, used Iced Shell and died. I, trying to follow him managed it- But I was a day late. Boreal was missing, the town was destroyed and father was gone, though I recognised his handiwork well enough." "I've thought Boreal was dead for years. And now that I know he's alive, the first thing he tried to do was kill me. So don't accuse me of abandoning anyone. Don't accuse me of trying to kill anyone. The fact is this- Boreal is doing something reckless. Releasing a sealed away demon to fight it? What for, revenge? Bloody hell, if he released Deliora somehow our Dad would have died for nothing and he'd basically kill him! Dad is that block of ice now!" Dale finished, finally taking a proper breath. He glared at the young girl in front of him, furious at her for what he said and more so for making him lose it in front of everyone like this. "Now see some sense! We can't let him release Deliora to try and fight it, it's already been beaten. It's too risky. And I'll have an apology too."
"Yes Ander, that is correct." Dale said, far too focused on the important situation right now to make a comment about how for once, Ander was right and wasn't being an utter twat about it. "We should be careful. Boreal is tampering with one of the most terrible feats of dark magic ever completed. I witnessed the destructive power of Deliora as I followed my father to where I saw Deliora encased in ice like this. I've never seen a more terrible scene. That thing is destruction incarnate. Charlotte, can you go take a quick look down the cave? Don't go too far, just tell me if you can see a way out or at least some sign of one. And if you hear someone coming, then warn us. We'll want to see if we can find a place to hide. I want to avoid battle where we can. We'll need all of our strength against Boreal." I don't know if even I am a match for my half-brother. He heard Cal explaining what happened to her to Ander, and felt a pang of sadness for her. She really believes this. Even after what we've been saying, she still believes that Boreal is just a henchman. That he doesn't want to do this. I suppose I should break the news to her. "I'm sorry Cal. I truly am." Dale began. "But you've been lied to. Boreal is no henchman. And he could have released you. He is the leader here. I suspect that if he was talking to you, he was extracting information out of you. He wouldn't be somebody else's pawn, I know him well enough to say that with confidence. Whatever they're doing with Deliora, he is behind it for certain. My half brother has never had any qualms about lying to someone to get what he wanted. And we know where he went Cal. He came upstairs, to the temple and attacked me as soon as he saw me, causing this floor to collapse which means... There's a way out of here for certain. Charlotte just needs to find it." He returned his attention to Cal. "Don't be ashamed of yourself. Boreal has always had a silver tongue. It just gives us more of a reason to bring him down." "Hmm, an interesting consideration I had not thought of that. And no Malkira wait before you attack. Preferably for myself or Conrad's direction. We don't need you compromising the mission with your rash, bloodthirsty attitude." Vance said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. They are right, Aoki does need to be hidden and sending a couple of people around unnoticed would be beneficial. That means that they can't keep track of everyone. If we send two people to sneak, Malkira as our bodyguard, Conrad with me and Edric as the coachman everyone else nicely comes across as a servant. Yes, it adds up. "Aoki and Zephyr you two can sneak. Malkira is the bodyguard, Conrad is with me, Edric is the coachman and the remainder pose as servants and can do something in the servant's hall. I'll leave it to you what you do there. We could use those as an extra team for sneaking, or perhaps one for gathering information. Regardless, we all need to leave at the same time with the book to regroup. Can we do that? We'll begin the operation shortly. Any last points before we start?" The only problem I can see with this is communication, but I have to trust everyone else to do this right. I think I can rely on these people not to be total idiots. They all seem relatively sensible. The only person who so far has said anything stupid is Malkira. We'll bring him in line though. Edric's role will be fairly important. I think we'll use him to get the two people sneaking in. The mansion will have a stable that we can park the coach in. I'd best mention that. "Just a note for everyone. We need to be in the coach. Edric drives up and announces us. Then, we're allowed in. We get out with our 'servants' and then move on inside. However, the two sneaking in need to stay out of sight and remain in the coach. Edric takes it to the stables where it'll be parked and lets the two infiltrators out." The Nutcracker was mercifully quiet after that. She was too embarrassed to say anything else at the moment and there wasn't anything else she particularly felt like saying to Prince Eric right now. That man... She shook her head. I can't dwell on what he said too long. We've got work to do. It's not that I didn't like hearing it's just... I don't hear it very often and it seems a little... Sudden. I mean, I guess it's not so bad since he doesn't say it to everyone like Thomas does, or at least that I know of but still... She continued her thinking as they walked back to the main group. Everyone else seemed to have got their items without any problems, although Thea looked a little rattled for some reason. She wasn't quite sure what could have happened to give that look, but it didn't matter that much. She was alright and that was the important thing. The construction started, but then they heard the thumping. She looked around and saw it. It was huge. A gargantuan creature of living rock, striding over the countryside. She drew her sword, knowing that even though it shouldn't work very well it seemed to have defeated just about everything so far. She put the effectiveness down to being forged by magic or something like that, and then focused on fighting it. She narrowed her eyes at the creature and charged towards it, blade in both hands. She leaped towards it and swung the blade around, preparing to launch into a series of other strikes. Alessia used Blitz on Rock Giant.
Dane was quite an overbearing presence, Sherridan soon realised as soon as the man turned his attention, his full attention that was, to him. Already he seemed imposing but now it was an even more extreme pressure that he seemed to radiate. It was as if he was openly broadcasting how unbalanced he was, making you unsure of what would set him off. It was a careful dance here, Sherridan decided. A dance between Dane's ire and not giving in to the psychopathic killer. He realised at that point that he had never hated another living being this much. A cold hearted murderer, willing to mock, threaten and kill in an instant. It unsettled him. Worried him. Nevertheless, he had to stand up to him despite this. After all, he couldn't afford to become a thrall to this man, no matter how tough he might appear. "Yes, this is my home. I live here. There's a certain peace and quiet to camping out with nature I find. Eventually the wild animals stop bothering you and it's actually quite relaxing listening to the birdsong and the howling of the wolves at night. Not that I suspect it's much your thing." Sherridan answered coolly. He wasn't planning on showing any sort of weakness in front of him where he could. They needed to see, they all did, that the Ranger would stand against Dane, even if none of them would. He couldn't fight the man directly and they had to find this hero first and unfortunately, Dane might just be the thing that got them there. It seemed like it was a tough journey and the Goddess was sending agents out to stop them. At times like that, a man like Dane was a useful weapon. He wasn't sure how worth it, it was. He pulled one of the young girls by the arm and dragged her off, claiming she had the power to kill him and gave him an all to casual warning. Sherridan narrowed his eyes at Dane's back. Alisia, I don't know who you are or what your relation to all this is but... I'll find a way to free you from this madman. This cannot be allowed to continue. Sherridan noticed the younger girl, sitting down next to where Alisia was. She must be traumatised, poor child. He approached her quietly and knelt down next to her, taking in the bruises and blood. Dane is vicious. What a monster. He took out some cloth and a small skin of water. "Here, let me treat those wounds. You're going to need to get those cleaned up before they get infected." Sherridan said. He damped the cloth with the water from the skin and began to wipe the blood off her face. "This might sting a little cub, but it'll be okay."
"Interesting. maybe you'd have liked it there. It's... Different to say the least. More magical. I prefer it there to here, no offence." Alessia replied, trying to hide the little embarrassment she felt about being called beautiful by the little creatures dancing around and reanimating the world behind a little bit of humour. She didn't want the Nutcracker to find out what she was feeling like at the moment. He seemed polite but she didn't know him that well to begin with. Things took a depressing turn when he mentioned that the Mouse King wanted only destruction. It was confusing for her. Why would anyone want to just destroy? It seems like such a waste of this great world we have. Wouldn't creating be better than destroying? Wouldn't it be better to just live and exist rather than seek the destruction of everything else? Surely everyone can live together in relative peace? Surely they can? I wonder how come an army of rats and a King appeared and started being able to talk, wield weapons and apparently create an industry and society like ours. It seems fairly unlikely that- Did he just hit on me? She looked at the Nutcracker in surprise. He seemed to have a smile on his face and at that moment, all she could see was that annoyingly cocky smile of Thomas. And then it clicked who the Nutcracker was. Eric, a Prince said I'm... Beautiful? Not in those words but... She blushed and turned away, watching some of the fairies in the other direction from Eric. She didn't want to look at him with her face burning up like this. "Um, thank you. I- I'm glad. It's nice that someone thinks so." She blustered, not entirely sure how to react to Prince Eric's comment. There really was a person inside that wooden shell.
Alessia followed the Nutcracker down the cliffside path towards the beach. She strolled down quickly, following after the wooden Prince that she had teamed up with. He was strange company for sure, it wasn't often that she found herself in the company of a male, let alone a man turned Nutcracker. It wasn't that bad, she found. That said, not every man was a Prince. She thought about the people at the guild. Yeah, I'll be lucky to find anyone as polite as Eric here. Honestly, they're so brutish in comparison to him. That said, I don't think that Sapphire Eclipse is the right place for the gentlemanly. They had reached the bottom of the path and set off away from the beach. She hadn't noticed this before when she walked down. It looked like a little ravine in the cliff. They walked down it. "He turned you into a Nutcracker then. So, how did he manage it? From what I've heard from people you didn't exactly go out to battle him and got defeated so, what happened?" She asked, curious. This served a dual purpose. To learn more about Eric and to uncover a little more information on the Mouse King that they were hearing so much about. He seems to be very powerful. I never knew that rodents could be powerful like that but it seems they can be. We need to be careful, unless we all want to end up as Nutcrackers. That's when the Nutcrakcers revealed the well and opened it up. She stepped back, surprised at the flood of fairies, little lights and their little dresses. They fluttered around excitedly, tinkling in their strange language that she couldn't at all understand. "The Mouse King seems cruel. I don't understand him. What does he gain from all this, locking all of these little creatures away?" Alessia mused, watching all of them. They seemed to flit around her a while, darting around her on their tiny wings speaking their strange language. The Nutcracker translated for her. She flushed a little at the comment. I'm... Beautiful... Nobody has really said that to me. Thomas doesn't count because he addresses his silly advances to everyone in the room. "Um, thanks I guess. I never really, hear that. Thank you." She smiled at the fairies. She watched in wonder as the fairies regenerated the blasted landscape around her. Grass struggled up from the sandy, barren ground and leaves sprung into life from dying trees. It was like watching spring, compressing the months of development into but minutes as everything came to life around her. She almost forgot what they were even here for and why as she watched the life returning to the world around her. "This at least, I'm glad we agree on, Conrad. You're not as blind to sense as I initially believed. There may be hope for you yet. Perhaps we may be able to work together in the future. Now then, let us see if we can get the others aboard. I have no love for this breaking in. It is far, far too crude for my tastes. An elaborate masquerade to hide a heist is preferable." Vance replied quietly. He understood that Conrad was trying to speak with some privacy, so he allowed that. After all, the man had just done him a favour by being reasonable about things. He wasn't quite sure that Conrad wasn't the weak peasant sympathiser he came across as, lacking in logic and reason, but perhaps he was wrong. It may be that the man was cunning, and wanted to put on a face. Now that would be impressive. I wonder, perhaps there is a requirement in the world for people like Conrad. I suppose there must be sympathisers, otherwise our workers and the others would simply reject a system that appears to hate them. Now this is an interesting consideration. "Very well, Conrad is in agreement. In my mind I have already come up with the required details for you to hear out the plan. It is quite simple. Malkira, you will act as our protector. We may need you if things with our duke turn ugly. It'll be acceptable for us to have a guardian with us and it seems to me that the large golem is the best candidate. Also, he is also the least well fit for the task of everyone else. We shall require the rest of you to pose as servants." "You should be directed to some sort of serving hall where you may wait and entertain yourselves until our business is concluded. However, you won't have any need to do that. We'll be relying on you to steal this Daybreak book that we're here for. Aoki here will need to hide her face until you're in the hall so they don't recognise you- If they do spot you then they shall suspect foul play and the plan will go wrong. And Edric... I propose you pose as the coach since you drove us here. That means you'll be in charge of getting us out of here when we're done." "I expect we'll be able to keep him occupied for thirty minutes to forty five minutes. If we were to choose this plan, do you believe you could complete the heist within that time?"
Alessia followed the Nutcracker as soon as they were moving out. He seemed to be nervous about what she had told him. I was right wasn't I, Eric? You're just not ready to admit it yet. She remembered what Clara had said. He did seem depressed, perhaps ashamed of himself. In a way, that was good wasn't it? If he was ashamed then surely he would want to make up for what he had done and he'd be the Prince that everyone needed him to be. She'd help him with that while they were on this mission. To do it, Eric was going to need support- Support that he wasn't going to get from his people so it had to be from them. I won't say anything yet Eric, but you'd better make good on that title you're meant to have. She followed closely behind, making sure that he knew she was there behind him. She would try and inspire him onwards if he faltered himself. She hated a quitter. Especially ones who needed to continue for other people's good and not just their own. As she watched the prince in front of her, she couldn't help but wonder- How did he turn to wood in the first place? There didn't seem to be anyone around yet, so she caught up and whispered to him so nobody else would hear. "So, how did you wind up as a Nutcracker exactly? It seems like something that's pretty hard to do on your own." "Well excellent, I knew there was something wrong with Duke Everlue. I never liked him anyway he was always, always strange at parties. He'd go for the homeliest women he could fine, even if they were married. Honestly, he was a shame to us all. No wonder he didn't invite anyone to his mansion for parties. He'd be a laughing stock if anyone knew!" Vance laughed, as he watched Aoki being quickly turned down by the strange aristocrat. His laughter over, he considered what people had said and cleared his throat. He may actually be able to get them in, after a fashion. They could try and sneak in, or they could let Vance talk his way in. A nobleman such as he would naturally have business with another. He'd likely be able to get the others in too if they were willing to pose as his attendants. In fact, perhaps Conrad might be able to help. As much as he hated to admit it the man was well-known enough. He might have been new money from industry but people took notice of a rising man. "I have another idea. Myself and Conrad hold some Noble status. My family is an old one and while Conrad's is younger, our names will carry weight. If we were to say, approach this Duke Everlue with you posing as our attendants then we may well be able to gain entry." Vance suggested. "And it would mitigate the problem of our numbers. After all, everyone knows that noblemen need their attendants, do they not?" Of all the things... What has Boreal done? Deliora is here? That thing was defeated North of here, not on this island. I would know. Father told me. I went out to find him, but all I saw was this demon and my father and Boreal nowhere in sight. He told me that he was going with him. I thought Boreal had died. So how did he live? Did he just, walk away? I don't understand... Shook out of his reverie by the piercing tones of Calxiyn's whining, Dale struggled to his feet and looked at Cal and Veilen. He began to walk over to her and conjured an Ice-Make Blade in his right hand. "That, everyone, is a monstrosity. A demon. I don't know where he came from exactly, only that an old dark wizard summoned it. His name escapes me for the moment. Deliora, that demon, was responsible for terrible acts of destruction in the North. I know it only too well. It killed my father, and I thought it killed Boreal too." Dale explained, releasing Cal from the icy chains with two strikes of the razor sharp frozen blade in his hand. He turned to address everyone properly as he spoke "He didn't tell me what he was doing, but when I asked Edric at the guild he told me what my father planned. I went after him to try and help, even stop him. I made it, but I found the city in ruins, Deliora encased in ice and neither my father or Boreal anywhere to be seen. I recognised my Dad's work. He used the spell, Iced Shell to defeat it. He told me never to use it unless it was a serious threat. Something capable of killing hundreds or thousands. That's what that is. It shouldn't be here. What Boreal wants with it is beyond me, but whatever it is, we have to stop him. We can't let him undo what father gave his life to do. We can't let Deliora walk this world again." Dale clenched his fist, looking up at the gargantuan creature in front of him.
"This does look unstable. Still, it seems to be habitable, albeit with a little care attached." Dale folded his arms and looked around the large chamber. I'm impressed. The talent that it must have taken to build something like this is quite something. The fact that it's still standing to this day is a testament to that. There were voices in the main room. He could hear them. Cal's friends must have arrived. I suppose we shall see what they're made of. And what they are. Boreal made his way towards the room. Dale considered the chamber was, gazing at every corner with an analytical eye. As if we needed any more confirmation that something is here. I can see it all around us, or more precisely, the lack of it. "There are people here." Dale said. "Look around, there's no dust in sight. If this was abandoned then there would be dust, a lot of it. It would also explain that rat's outfit. Apparently they're using it for cleaning, or at least I'd assume so. We're dealing with some very strange characters." That annoyingly confident, know it all voice. It had to be him. There was nobody else it could be. Finally, they could catch up. Dale had a few things to answer for. Where was he 6 years ago? Boreal quickened his pace. He couldn't wait any longer for what was to come. Dale continued to pace, examining things. There wasn't any sign of who might be here though. There was no telling diary as there was so often in stories, no abandoned scrap of clothing or dropped crystal. There was no dust, but that didn't say much at all. The greater puzzle was who was there exactly. As he looked, he heard footsteps coming from one of the doorways. Dale looked around, staff in hand- And dropped it. "Bo-" "You!" Around the blond haired man's right hand formed a twisting, writhing formation of ice. "Ice-Make Whip!" A sparkling whip of ice formed in his hand. He gripped it and his face contorted into a vicious snarl. He drew it back and lashed out at Dale. He dived aside as the freezing whip whirled through the air towards him. He hit the cold stone floor with a grunt, sending a small pang of pain up his arm. Didn't land right. The icy weapon slammed into the ground where he was standing and he felt a rumbling. The ground began to collapse where the whip had struck. He got to his feet. "Run!" He heard Dale shout, but it was far too late for that. Before anyone could get away, the floor crumbled and collapsed, raining stones down into the dark hole below. Boreal watched with a small sense of satisfaction, but also disappointment. He wouldn't get to confront Dale. He'd check later, or they'd reappear. For now, he had other business to attend to. He had to get everything organised for the ceremony later tonight. Possibly the final one. He'd tell the other three to go down and check on the Moondrip's progress to make sure. Dale couldn't do much about the fall at this point. Nor did he have the mental capacity to. Boreal... He's alive. He's actually, truly alive. I didn't think he made it. Not after that day... He was vaguely aware of hitting the ground beneath him, but didn't make a sound. He was lost in thought, in the realisation that Boreal was actually alive. Not that he was exactly happy to see Dale. After a minute of staring upwards at the hole they had just fallen through, Dale stood up and brushed himself off. He looked around, and saw a familiar figure. She was chained up against a rock, held by chains of ice. She appeared unharmed. He went to say something, but stopped. Something glittered at the back of the large cave they had fallen into. Something as tall as the cave itself. Interred in a huge block of ice, terrible in its majesty, was the demon of his past. The thing that destroyed his life, his livelihood. "No... It truly is..." Dale stuttered, gazing in abject horror at the creature sealed in ice before him. "Deliora..." Alessia hadn't done much. She'd been sitting, waiting for something to happen really. Things had slowed down now. They'd learned more about their mission, what they were going to do. They had to find a princess it seemed. She wondered about Prince Eric. Who he was, what he did. Why did everyone hate him so much? She was sure there must have been a reason- A good reason why he wasn't there. They might not know it, but surely there was some sort of reason, some rationality behind it? There had to be. As she sat, she heard two voices. The Nutcracker and Clara were speaking. Clara called him the Prince... Then everything clicked. It all made perfect sense. Why he was so tetchy about his identity. Why he was so driven towards this. Yes, it all added up. It all made sense. He confirmed it. She stood up from her position where she was seated, until now unseen. "If you don't want to be the Prince, Eric. Then why are you doing this now?" Alessia asked. But there's more to it than that. "And why didn't you do it before? You say you're doing this to make your people happy- Why weren't you trying to make them happy? Why are you even calling them your people if you don't even want to be? I think you're lying to yourself Eric." "I think you want to be the Prince after all- But you're scared of everyone so you won't admit it. They might dislike you, but think about it- If you come back, they'll be happy you came back. Yes you'll be late, but at least you returned! At least you came back to them! Stop hiding it from yourself- You know you want to be the prince. So why don't you be it? That's what the people- the people you're trying to make happy again- need Eric."
It seemed that they were finally turning their attention to him. It wasn't a good situation, not by a long shot. They had managed to drive off the enemy, and he had bandaged up his wounds. They'd heal with a little time- He'd taken worse. He did note that they hadn't really killed either of the two that came after the group. All of them seemed to have retreated, although what did they expect? They were up against superior numbers and these people certainly seemed... Potent. I can't fight them. As much as I don't like that tall one who I imprisoned, the one that grey haired woman called Dane, I can't fight him. If I fight him everyone fights me and I'll die. He seems to be of the dark, but I don't know if even my light arrow will save me. I am forced to side with them. Besides, they're looking for a Hero of some sort. And they were the agents of the Goddess. I may not like them, but I can't allow them to be stopped. If they find a hero there's a chance we can enter a whole new time, a better time where our Gods actually help us rather than stand by. And, I can keep an eye on him. Maybe I'll be able to stop the worst of the violence. In any case, I want to talk to some of the people here and find out what I can. There's a lot to learn here. "I was here to try and stop you murdering that woman. I was here to kill you, or at least stop you killing someone again. Now, I'm not so sure. I don't know much about you, Dane. Nor do I know much about the people that travel with you. From what I can tell, you're looking for some hero. And that hero isn't a friend of the Goddess. I'm curious I'll admit." Sherridan explained. Got to be careful here. I'm not sure what this guy will and won't do exactly. "I want to find out what's going on. More to the point, I want to keep an eye on you. I don't see any reason not to help you along the way, but you've walked into my homeland and killed someone for some reason I don't know or understand yet. You've got a purpose I'm unsure of. I want to know what you're doing here, in my home."
Kari watched Alec brush past her with a look of surprise on her face. I can't believe this guy! Scowling, she followed Vex inside. He didn't look to happy with her either judging by the expression. She felt a pang of shame and embarrassment at that. I've made myself a fool in front of him. How am I supposed to make him like me enough to be something in this revolution of his if I make myself look like an idiot. And that ******* who just showed up didn't help much. Who does he think he is anyway? Fuming, she stalked in after everyone else. They were faced by a set of guards as they entered the next room. She drew out her axe and charged at them. They picked the wrong time to show up. She was in a very, very bad mood. Her berserker charge surprised the man she selected and he only just managed to parry the incredibly unbalanced strike. She twisted, fast as a whip and redirected her momentum into another wild, savage swing at the guard who dared fight her. She heard a grunt and saw a little blood spray from a slice across his left arm. You don't show your pain do you? He struck at her, bringing his sword around but it was her turn to catch the strike on her weapon, batting it aside and slamming the wooden handle of her axe into his chin. There was a crack, and she realised that she may well have broke the bone. He won't live long enough to suffer much. The man brought his hand up to his mouth and felt the blood, only for him to fall to one knee as she hewed at the back of his left leg. "Die." She said, bringing the axe down on his neck like an executioner. The man slumped to the floor, a pool of his blood growing and spreading across the floor. She looked around the room for a new victim, axe in both hands. Kyle was glad for the rest. His dorm room was comfortable, it had all the amenities one could want. As he lay back on the bed he closed his eyes and started to think for a while about things. About where he was, his position. About his family and what they'd be thinking when they found out what he'd done for them. About his future career too, and more about his enigmatic employer. Lord Franco Bertram. As he reflected on the man, it occurred to him how little he truly knew about the man. Even though he was well known enough for Kyle to find him, he was still a somewhat distant figure. Most nobles wore their identity on the cuff from what he could tell, but Franco was a man of secrets. At least my job is going to be interesting. I'm going to learn more about this man, what his secrets are. And then I'll guard them to the end of my days I suppose. He lay there, musing on the turn his life had taken for a few more minutes before rising to his feet and looking to the desk next to his bed. He saw an envelope on there, addressed to him. He pulled a chair over and looked at it. He winced. Ian Strive was asking if he would accept employment. There was no question about it- He couldn't take the job. He hunted around for some good paper and an inkwell and quill. Having located them, he composed a response. Dear Lord Ian Strive, I apologise, but I cannot accept this offer of work. I have already found employment under Lord Franco Bertram. Thank you for your consideration, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours. Yours sincerely, Kyle Ryogi With his letter completed, he sealed it and asked around for the right place to go to send it. He eventually made it, handing in the letter to be sent with haste to the Strives. He returned to his room and took a seat at the desk again. He wasn't sure what to do with himself now. Wait, he supposed. Elyas had been travelling for a long time. It was a long ride there, but regardless he had made good time. As he rode through the city gates, he smiled. Now we're back on my turf. You're a brave man Vex, to be so brazen. I wonder, do you plan to do anything here, or is this just a stop? It would certainly make an impression if you were going to start your rebellion here. Elyas wasted no time in getting started. He had to make up for lost time. He was behind Vex and he'd need to move fast if he was going to get back on the trail and catch up. He needed to implant himself into Vex's group early on so he could get a position of respect within the group. After all, he needed to be able to see or hear Vex's plans and possibly even be able to be close to the man so he could kill him later. However, that didn't matter quite yet. He had to find Vex before any of that really mattered. His investigation first sent him to the tavern where the bar fight had happened. He asked for important disturbances and came across someone who was there at the time, and someone who matched Vex's description perfectly. He smiled. That was a start. He looked at the state of affairs, and things did seem quite a mess. More so than taverns got when there was a bar fight. There was a disproportionate amount of blood on the ground. It fitted Vex's style well enough. Messy, and a little crude. It also matched the style of another potential threat that he had heard of. Someone that recently murdered a nobleman in his own home. A girl by the sounds of it. The room had her bloody minded attitude painted on it. Even if the Vex sighting was false, then he may have a lead on another similar criminal. With that as a start, Elyas started to question the bartender for hints, and once he was exhausted he'd have to ask a few people. Maybe he'd have to talk to some of his contacts on the wrong side of the law. Maybe they'd have a lead on what happened.
Sherridan watched as his arrow stuck neatly into Phantom's arm from his cover. He smiled. A good shot, and one that crippled the enemy. Apparently he needed both arms to wield that weapon of his and it looked painful to use with an injured arm. That meant that they had an advantage. Wounded prey was far, far easier than healthy prey. He prepared to make his next strike but then he saw something. Something was heading straight for him, fired by the man he had just shot in the arm. He couldn't do an awful lot to evade the oncoming projectile other than dive to the ground. Mercifully, his well honed reflexes won out and he was able to get to the ground on time for the shot to sail right into the ground next to him. He wasn't quick enough to dodge the entirety of the shot, as it clipped his side and immediately began to produce blood. He looked down at it. Could be worse. It didn't hit anything important, I'll deal with that later. For now, the prey is injured and it doesn't look like he has all that much fight left in him! Sherridan stood up again and took his bow in hand. He looked towards Phantom. The Griffon was still firing the Ice Spikes so he had to be quick. Fortunately, he had been training with his weapon and was used to hitting things moving much quicker, and even smaller than Phantom. He lined up his shot quickly and loosed off an explosive arrow. First it would pierce, then it would explode putting his enemy into a world of hurt. He stepped back into cover quickly, the structural integrity of this tree getting even more questionable. Sherridan pulled out one of his containment traps and rushed out, activating it creating a bubble of protection around him which the spikes bounced off. He'd never used it under these circumstances before, so he had no idea how long this was going to last. Hopefully, long enough to reach more cover and line up the next shot.
"Erm, weel that plan doesn't soond too bad ta me. Soo, you fer going en Aoki?" Edric asked. He held out the outfit to her. "Cause if y'are, yer gonna need this." "Sara, calm down. These men don't mean us any harm and exploding at them isn't going to help anything." Alessia said pointedly. Sara, what is wrong with you? What happened to you all of a sudden it would be better if you stayed quiet if this is what you're going to be like, seriously. She shook the thoughts aside and considered how to answer that question. She wasn't entirely sure what the Sugar Plum Princess was, and to her it didn't sound like all that much. Probably because everything in this place was named after candy and was therefore slightly hard to take seriously. Ergo, she didn't. Regardless, they had to take it seriously, because that's what they were here to do. They had a job to do and they had to do it. It was worth it in the end, after all, they were going to get paid and they were going to defeat this strange, evil Mouse King. She'd never think of rats and mice the same way after this. She didn't even know they could wield weapons let alone organise like this! "We don't know much about the Sugar Plum Princess, just that she's very powerful and resides on an island across the sea of storms. They say that she has powerful magic that can defeat the Mouse King. To be honest we don't know much more than that. The owl that told us all this wasn't any more specific."
Well, the Dragon flew off. He watched it go with a fairly dazed smile, the fact that he had spoken with a prince, sold him and his dragon his hunt, got extra money from it and got invited into the big city to go find some sort of contexts to make business deals with. He didn't know the first thing about that, but that was okay! He was going to do it anyway, and if the King himself was going to let them in then why not? It seemed to him like that was some sort of acceptance, and from a Prince too! Travis, he decided, was pretty cool. Jin'rael was determined to find his new friend if he could. Besides, the city was an interesting place probably. It sounded big but you know, life was one big adventure so why not take a gambit here or there? 'Twas harmless, right? Smiling to himself, he began to walk in the direction that Calor had gone in, humming happily to himself in the process. "Are you sure this is a good idea Jin?" Lan' asked. "We both know how you are with people and big places with lots of people. You tend to get a bit anxious." "I know, but hey. You only live once and well, Travis seemed kinda cool and that King guy he mentioned is apparently pretty cool too. I mean, how couldn't he be? Having a kid like Travis, sure as hell he has to be awesome!" Jorso didn't make any sudden movements. Instead, he settled for being still while the Goddess talked to Travis. He didn't make any moves, he just stood there obliquely listening and watching what was going on. There was no need to do anything. After all, he was sure that Travis would probably notice the person watching, even if Celina somehow didn't. He was surprised she hadn't said anything, but then again she was blind and couldn't really be blamed for not noticing. He heard Lelinde sigh behind him and looked around at her. "Jorso dear this is so dull. Why don't we do something more interesting? You've been standing around doing exactly the same thing for days. I have to follow you around you know, I want something interesting to do. Surely you're tired of doing all this?" She complained. "I'm done when I'm done Lelinde, you know that. For now, we're going to keep doing this. You know what all this is to me." "Or you could talk to people? It would probably be good for you." "And what would I say to them exactly? Do you know me for my conversation?" "No, I can't say that I do. Hmm, you'll have to do something about that." "But not now. I don't like this. Something just seems off." "Something always feels 'off' to you."
"I think you'd look fantastic in that ootfit big fella. What sort o' respectable man could resist a clay statue with those curves?" Edric joked. He was about to say more, when the strange Zephyros disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared looking considerably more feminine. "Weell... In that case we could go with you. Unless oor resident female wants the job. Ya say you've got a device for this sorta thing? I mean, it's up ta the two o' ya. If ya don't want to dress up as a maid than oor transforming friend here can do it. I'll leave it to ya. And Malkira, I was joking." I can't believe this. This was meant to be going to safety, but instead, we're in a trap. Great... Just our luck. As if this could be going any worse! At least Thea hasn't freaked out with her powers yet. That's something.If that happens again with these guys we're in big trouble. I guess the old man stood up for us though so we're probably somewhat okay. We have someone on our team at least. "Yeah, we'll answer questions. We don't want any trouble." Alessia said, backing up Thea. Dale decided then to ignore everyone. Ander's bollocks could wait, he didn't care much for Charlotte's self righteous preaching right now and nobody was adding anything he cared to hear. Frankly, he was starting to have had enough. He brought them out here, partly for them and partly for himself (he admitted that), and this was what they did? They questioned him? Just because he wasn't S-Class? Because of all these stupid little factors and the fact that he was taken by surprise by something he really couldn't do much about? Idiots. All of them. They just didn't understand anything. They were all so new and ****ing perfect that they had no room to understand how hard leading was, how stressful it was when every single one of them questioned and acted like they were so superior and above it all. He had to act above them to try and assert some order but they just didn't ****ing work with him. They were starting to give him a headache. Instead of acknowledging them, talking to them or otherwise, he just turned away and started to walk towards the temple. A Lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep, Dale. Ignore them. We've got a job to do, let's do it and get back to the guild. Back to Johanna. Back to somewhere that wasn't this miserable ****ing island with these insufferable pricks.
He heard a great deal of talking and insults going on in the carriage he was driving, not to mention the yelling about a fire. Edric looked inside briefly and rolled his eyes as tambourine man managed to set their ride on fire, but at least he put it out afterwards. That was something. He was courteous enough to correct his mistakes when he made them, which was good enough. The ride was fairly boring for Edric. The scenery was nothing special outside and there wasn't even a bandit attack to keep things fresh and interesting. He supposed it was okay though. There wasn't any real need for trouble and with these people, he wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea to fight because he didn't think that they'd actually deal with the bandits, but rather settle grudges first and the bandits next. Eventually, they arrived at the manor. It was a large white building with big gates at the front which effectively blocked their way in. At least conventionally. Fortunately, he had brought the ultimate infiltration tool in with him. He picked up a little package wrapped in a bag and then hopped off the carriage and opened the door. When everyone got out he addressed them. "Soo, we've arrived at Everlue Manor. Noow, we have ta get in the place. And well, I've already got a plan for this but I may have neglected to mention tha'. Basically... This Everlue guy has a thing with maids. And he's hiring them. He's looking for one right noow. Soo, the plan is quiiite simple. Basically, one of you is going to dress up as a maid and then you're going to let us in later today! Perfect, no?" Edric explained. He opened up the package and revealed that he had in fact, brought an outfit. "Soo... Which one o' ya is going ta wear it?"
"Oh, woah. I am really sorry my prince, I didn't realise that you were you know, the prince." Jin apologised hurriedly. Damn. The Prince is a cool dude. I thought princes were all like high and mighty all very pretentious and self obsessed but actually, this guy is pretty chill. I like him, he's cool. Apparently, the Prince, the Prince of the Elf Kingdom where lived actually wanted to buy his stuff. His kills! Even though he didn't really understand society that well, he knew that this was pretty important. He considered the price for a moment. Usually a haul like this would net a price of around 150 for all the meat, skins and antlers produced. He was never sure if that was the right price but it was enough for him to live off, so, whatever. They had some extra cash, so he figured he could afford to drop the price for such a nice guy. And the Dragon could have one kill for free. He pondered this for a while, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Prices were tricky. "Okay Travis you can have this lot for say, 80? And the Dragon gets one free. I'd usually charge more but I like you, and you weren't you know, rude to me." Jin closed his eyes and smiled at the pair for a moment, before taking their kills off the back of the shark and wrapping them them in a cloth. Lan breathed loudly, joyously making use of his now unrestricted lung capacity. "It's been nice meeting you guys. You're both great. I didn't know princes were so chill, and cool and stuff. I always thought they were too busy like, rescuing princesses and talking to rich people. Have you ever rescued a princess?" Jin asked. He heard Lan sigh. "Jin, just because he's the son of King Jebediah it doesn't mean that he rescues princesses." Lan pointed out. Jorso walked down the passage warily. He didn't trust the universe not to cause any more problems after that castle attack. With the Goddess and the whole group in here they were vulnerable, very, very vulnerable. They eventually emerged out, and that's when they had the journey. Three days they travelled, three days where Jorso watched, his red eye observing all. Nothing went unseen by that baleful red eye on that journey. The quiet, masked man watched them all. Especially the Goddess. He watched over her, trying to spot any threats. Charity may be her new eyes, but he was the quiet watcher. A quiet protector. She was his ray of hope. The one symbol of defiance against the Olympian Thrones that had destroyed his life and that made her precious- Invaluable. Nothing could be allowed to harm her, lest his ultimate revenge be halted. He would rather die than see their chance to resist, to defeat the Thrones die. And happily, he would sacrifice all of these people to do the same. He talked to nobody on that journey, only Lelinde. She was the only company he needed and as much as he hated to admit it, he did enjoy her presence. That was perhaps, the one thing he would grant her. She may annoy him, but he did like having her around. Without her, he would have gone insane. Soon enough, the Elven city appeared on the horizon. He folded his arms as they looked down upon the hilltop. A gleaming city. Beautiful. Another time he might have admired it. In another life, perhaps. That was not this life, however. That was another life where he could afford to not care overly much for anything else. Right now he had a task, and he would achieve it regardless. As the guards halted them in front of the city, Jorso placed himself protectively behind Celina, and remained there even while the King addressed them. If the King wasn't as airheaded as he appeared, then perhaps he would have noticed the suspicious glare radiating from the one eyed man. He elected to not however, keep his sword hand hovering by the hilt. That would seem too threatening, but the stare should be enough. It should make the point. They were allowed into the city however, and Jorso relented his gaze. As they entered, he made sure to stay near to the Goddess and kept an eye on everyone surrounding them. If anyone made so much as a move, he would be there, ready.
"Look, just get in the carriage, it'll be feen. Ah mean, look." Edric pulled on a strange wooden lever on the carriage and it somehow extended, raising the roof higher so Malkira could fit reasonably. Edric shrugged. "Yeah I don't know how that works either. But there ya goo." Vance ignored the opinions that strange girl. whatever her name might have been. She wasn't worth his consideration, so he thought about her no longer. He raised an eyebrow at the ascending roof of the carriage. That was actually quite impressive, even he had to admit that was a neat piece of work. He supposed that magic had it's uses here and there. He could imagine a great many uses for an ability such as that. However, he did ultimately notice the presence of someone else beside him, and they seemed to be speaking to him. It wasn't as respectfully as it could be, but he determined that this was good enough for this motley band of people he was forced to work with. "I needed to join a guild and this seemed the best of what was available. I've heard many good things about this guild. I assume its reputation is due to its talented members. I look forward to soon seeing them in action." Vance replied, somewhat loftily. "Now who might you be? I don't believe I have heard your name spoken." "Finally. I think that counts as the single most unpleasant thing that's ever happened to me in my life." Dale said, extracting himself from the giant mouse's shirt at long last. Of course, his moment of triumph didn't last all that long as he suddenly came plummeting down to the ground. His eyes widened in surprise, but he wasn't going to humiliate himself in front of the guild by landing badly. He twisted in the air, positioning his legs beneath him turning his headfirst fall into a somewhat controlled descent. He landed, the impact sending him to one knee and he placed one hand on the ground to support himself. Dale looked up at everyone else, getting to his feet. "Before you ask, I couldn't move. I'm surprised that thing could breathe it was that tight. I really, really need a wash when we get back to the guild." He looked around at the fallen trees, spotting the temple behind it. That would be our temple. Right, let us get to it now. We'll find out what's going on here exactly very, very soon. "Follow me. Let's find out who started this curse, and why." Dale ordered, before turning on his heel and striding towards the temple. "Oh and Ander- Next time you try and tell me what time it is to go and usurp the leadership of this mission, I'll give you a very, very special on the effects of Icemade Blades on people. You're inexperienced and you're my clear junior in this mission." Honestly, who does he think he is? It's not my fault this **** happens to me, it's the plot of the mission and I can't do anything about it because apparently it'd make things way too easy for you guys if I was actually able to help you fight. "A curse you say? I don't know anything about a curse. I'll return shortly, I must investigate this. Thank you Cal, for informing me of this development." He spoke, before getting up and starting to walk out. He felt sort of bad about leaving her alone again, but there was something important he needed to find out. That would explain why the Guild was brought here. Those stupid villagers, they must have sent out a message! We're too close now, nobody can be allowed to intervene with our plans. Not while the Moondrip is almost complete! "Sara he's right, we do need to up that ladder. We need to go after Clara. We'll deal with Jack later, but there was no real need to try and hit him." Alessia answered as diplomatically as she could. Really, Jack shouldn't have shoved her, but that was another point entirely. Sara was strangely active now and she wasn't entirely sure why. At the start of this mission she had barely been able to speak, let alone get angry and snap at someone. She was starting to think that it might have been better to remain a little more timid because now she was getting quite aggressive with people. They didn't need any problems to occur in the team now. Thea had already caused some tension, what with melting the snow fairies and burning Skadi. Alessia didn't hesitate in climbing the ladder as fast as she could. Clara was already up there and she'd need help if there was any trouble. Halfway up, she called down to the rest of the party. "Come on, hurry! We need to get away and catch up with Clara!" She kept climbing as fast as she could, scrambling up the rungs. Hopefully there's some safety here. We could really do with a rest because everything has been so tense around here. Oh why did you have to burn everything Thea? Oh why? "Mikasa do you think it was a good idea to send Edric out on the heist mission? He's not the most subtle out of us to be sure." Caliborn asked. He looked at his fellow S-Class member. They were going to go out and find out what happened to Dale and his team soon, but they had clearly decided to wait a little while before going. He folded his arms and leaned against one of the pillars they were standing next to in the guild. "And what do you make of the new members? There are some... Odd characters it has to be said."
"How...?" Sherridan gasped, looking at the suddenly free Dane. I suppose this counts for an alliance now doesn't it? I knew I should have extended the range of the Null Zone to cover him. Never mind. We're on the same side... For now. I wonder how long that's going to last though. Whatever the case, I have to keep an eye on this group. For the good of the realm of course. Not to mention that they're looking for some sort of hero to fight against the Goddess with. She's sending one of her own agents after them. That says a lot about the importance of this quest. I have to somehow help them get along and find the Hero. Not that he had much more time for consideration, as the griffon rider began his attack. Sherridan dived to the side as quickly as he could, feeling one of the icy shards nick his left shoulder. He grunted in pain a little, but he'd had worse than that. He wanted to Null Zone the rider, but that was out of the question. He needed the others at their full fighting capacity. Therefore he had to try and disable the Griffon or its rider. He ducked behind a thick tree, now ducking away from most of the icy projectiles being flung out. He considered his options. Clearly the flying mount was his greatest advantage, so he had to minimise it. He flicked through his arsenal of traps and arrows. There was only one thing for it. His Razor Trap. It would shred the wings of the beast and do some severe damage to its rider. He took one of them out from the satchel he had of them and set it. Then he stepped out from behind his cover, aimed and threw as hard as he could, the small metal contraption spinning towards Phantom. He raced to the next tree, trying to keep moving. He couldn't risk warning the others, as that would alert Phantom who so far hadn't seemed to have noticed him at all. At the next spot, he loosed off a normal arrow at Phantom and ducked behind the tree again. "These people don't mess around do they?" He muttered to himself. All of the magic flying around made this place very, very dangerous.
Kari followed Vex, internally joyous that Vex, the rumoured leader of the Revolution was now starting it, and that he took her on at his side. She'd follow him anywhere now. Finally, a chance to fight back at the people that killed her father, brother and mother. Look at me now guys, I'm doing something good for the world. I'm making everything better. She smiled as she followed Vex and Xera with a spring in her step. This was for her the equivalent of meeting her hero. She nearly started humming, but then stopped herself. She didn't want to appear immature in front of them. She sighed contently however, and continued following. The castle was fast approaching and she followed as Vex circled the moat. She wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly, but it became evident when he found a set of bars leading to what she assumed was something underneath the castle. She didn't know what though. She didn't know anything about it. However, what she did know is, they probably weren't meant to be found. "Look I don't know who you are exactly," Kari said, looking around at Alec, frowning. "But what's going on here isn't your business, so go on and get out of here. This isn't anything to do with you." That's what they would do right? Be blunt about it and try and get them to go away. She wasn't ready to fight this guy just yet, but if they could run him off first that'd be good. After all, they didn't want to take any risks with this guy yelling. If he could run away quietly that'd be just great.
