Hope in Darkness (IC)

[Telion]

When Fuschia had landed in the Palace square she was greeted by guards telling her that they would inform the master of her arrival. They told her that a few minutes of waiting was necessary for their master was doing.... Something. So she waited..... and waited. Slowly her blood started to boil, She of most dragons was particularly impatient. She hated to wait on anyone, matter of fact, Salazar almost drove her mad after fifty years of slumber. And the fact that Bowen was so un-lenient for when she wanted to go out and hunt, was fuel on her ever blazing fire.

Finally a small human, favored by the reek of him, came to her and asked if she would so politely follow him. She was even more so irritable at that, by Draconic principle, an unspoken law if you will, they would be greeted by the master, not the servant. It was rude in almost every sense of the matter.

Coming inside the main halls of the castle, where their queen dwelt, she was greeted with, "Ah, Fushia I presume? I am so ever sorry for the wait, but you know, important business, the world’s largest city to govern and all that. To get to business, I heard you were here about a warning and a report. I guess I will warn you not to start trouble in MY city. Dirilianox found out the hard way my impressive patience still had its limits. And then I guess I will let you report to me why you are here yes? I’m assuming even the Toxics want a share of the pie now that Dirilianox is getting eaten by maggots? Figures, as if I didn’t have enough people telling me how this city, which I have made, is suddenly too much for me." Fuschia had just about enough of this behavior, being talked down by a mere Sonic? She wasn't even qualified to run a Draconic legion, hense the decision to let her become a Dragon Noble. She was insolent, and would be put in her place.

Fuschia stood at her full height, a height that would easily tower over Mastrix herslef, which gave Fuschia the edge of intimidation. She said with a very firm voice, "Now now Mastrix, no need to get your panties in a twist. Apart from what you may or may not think, I am not here to receive a warning from you, or even give you a report of any kind. Seeing as I, a Toxic Major General, have any need or desire of ever reporting to one such as, Vile as yourself. You see, Lord Salazar has sent me here to give YOU a warning and for YOU to give me a report on what has been happening in this city. And trust me, mi'lady" Fuschia openly mocked her for her high and mighty act by giving her a small bow," You will not spare a detail." Regaining her usually calm composer since her anger was well shown. She resumed, "I am here to warn you from Lord Salazar, that somehow Zelamir Bane, has escaped from the chain. And you know by Draconic Law that this, in all meaning of the word, is in sentence of Death of Betrayal to the Dragon kind, as well as any of those whom had helped him. Seeing as a Favored, even one as talented as Zelamir is in figuring out Draconic gifts, is not capable in that magnitude of Magic. Meaning a great Wizard, or a Dragon had to help him Escape from it." She then walked closer towards Mastrix, stopping at the steps of her pedestal saying, "So that means Whomever might have helped that man escape from the Chain, is also punishable by death. So I expect your full cooperation in this mater. I would also expect that you will give me a full briefing on why this city looks as shitty as I've ever seen in years. What happened with Dirilanox, and why you decided to so boldly, paint a picture of you upon his dead body. If you could do it in writing that would be in absolute kindness that you have so terribly showed, and as a guest, even a forcible one, I will expect it by tomorrow. Seeing as you are 'Busy with Important matters' here. I will be staying in your almost empty castle next door. Perhaps Korlik, that darling of a dragon, would be so ever kind in accompanying me around the city. Maybe take a few humans home with me, you know how the Lord loves a good barbecued human." With that she turned around and began to walk out when she said, "Besides I wish for my visit to this poorly managed city to be as short as possible. Mastrix, have a good rest of your night, may it be as lovely as it could possibly get."

Reaching the inner yard of Mastrix's Palace, she opened her wings and began to fly off back to the eastern side of the city. Looking over the town, she realized how bad of a condition it actually was. It was quite amusing to her, Mastrix the Vain, lived well up to her reputation. But she wasn't as stupid as others might of rumored, she was indeed quite an intelligent being from the spark of enjoyment Fuschia had seen from when Mastrix talked down to her. It was bearable, but inexcusable.

Fuschia landed in the yard of the late Dirilanox's castle as she did before, walking past the guards she had spoke to before, she said, "Prepare me a place to sleep, I will be in the main hall till then. And inform the chief of staff, I would like a bear, cooked to a medium raw, and with the bones intact. I like a little crunch when it comes to my meat." Once the command given, she walked inside of the Great Dirilanox the Blue's mighty castle.

[Tomaru]

Saya was visibly relieved when Lydin volunteered to accompany her, although nobody else seemed up to the task. Even if he wasn't skilled in combat, just having a bit of backup was reassuring for a mission like this. She gave the elf a small smile when he finished speaking and said, "I also do not intend to enter the castle looking like this." She made a sweeping motion with her hand indicating her fur attire. "I'll be picking up a more... local outfit and I can use a bit of cosmetics to disguise my appearance as well. When I'm finished, many of you may not even recognize me."

"Good," Oleg said. "Lydin, you call on those favors of yours, and Saya, you prepare yourself with what you need. Everyone else, I want you walking the streets. eavesdrop on conversations, look out for anything suspicious, I don't care, just get us whatever information you can. As for the caravan, I think it will be a good idea to send a small team to scout ahead. Aliat are you up to leading that?"

Aliat gave a nod. "I'm familiar with the routes it usually takes, but I'll bring back whatever information I can on how heavily it is guarded and what carts are more important."

"Good. That should wrap up today's meeting. Saya, Lydin, the number one rule is get back safe. Pick up your coins from Malus before you leave."

With that, the meeting ended and the room became filled with chatter. Saya, however, wore an unusually grim expression. She picked up the enchanted coins with a simple "thank you," but no smile. Then she walked back to Lydin and said, "I'm going to gather what I need now. Where should I meet you?"

Aliat had noted that Aries seemed a bit uneasy during the meeting. It was understandable though; young warriors were usually overconfident or overmodest. Perhaps if he took her along with him he could help build up her self esteem and see what she was truly capable of. After all, on this kind of scouting mission, violence was a possibility. "Aries," he said, "Why don't you join me on the scouting mission. It will be good to get you as much experience as we can before things escalate. I'll be taking one other person too, but I don't want the group to be any bigger than that. We'll be leaving the city walls, so make sure you pack plenty of supplies."

* * *

Urzel reported that Fuschia had returned and was in the main hall now, so Korlik figured it would be a good time to greet her. The blue dragon entered the hall just after the general finished specifying how she liked her bears, and approached her with a sweeping bow. "General Fuschia, it has been ages! I am glad to see you doing well, though I assume you are here on business. Little else can compel dragons to come to the north these days. Is the matter private, or is there anything I can do to assist you?" Even when he was prying for information, Korlik's manners made it seem like he was doing people a favor. Fuschia was one dragon he would gladly help if he could, though. It was always nice to have connections, and Fuschia was very close to Salazar, which was useful both for mediating arguments between the primes and for calling on favors if he needed them. Fuschia herself was rather pleasant to deal with as well. She had a blunt demeanor, but that meant that there was little guesswork in figuring out what was on her mind.

[Lydyn]

Aries' attention was snapped as she looked up to Aliat with a clear expression on her face. "Oh.. right.." He had caught her off-guard enough that she didn't know what to say at first and just started to get up, glancing over the crowd for a moment. Aliat was right in pegging her as overmodest, but she still seemed to go with the flow without missing many steps, turning around to find what supplies she could. There was a moment where she turned, looked at Aliat as if she wanted to say something.. but decided not to and instead went over to the stock-room monitor. She only got what she felt was needed and was easy to carry on her person, mostly being small portioned rations and a deer-skin canteen. It was obvious that she wasn't used to living in the wilds by herself, but she hoped that was enough for the warranted trip outside the city - they weren't going to be gone for days she imagined.

After gathering the minimal amount, she returned to the table and waited for both Aliat and the other supposed member he wanted to bring along. At least she would meet someone new, she thought to herself and figured at least that - if nothing else - would be a good experience for her. Aries was no scout though and hoped that she would be able to keep her steps light enough to avoid detection, as that was how she imagined the mission was going to go ... stay in the trees or behind hills to catch critical glances at the cargo and guards and leave without notice. With a light huff, she was determined to aid however she could though, even if she wasn't truly aware of her own limits.

[Telion]

Before she was able to enter the castle, she had turn and saw a large blur come over and bowed before her. Listening to the mans words she smiled, he never missed a beat. He at least knew how to treat a fellow dragon, much more importantly a woman like she. She saw past his need for help and saw his intentions. She bowed in response to his own and smiled saying, "Ah Korlik, still quite the dragon I remember. And it is Major General now, Bowden was.... Demoted. And hopefully even you know what that means. I have come up in this dreadful place to make Mastrix write a report on the city for Lord Salazar, which Hours ago, had awoken. Which is why I am here, The Great Lord felt disturbances emanating from this area. Seeing as Dirilanox is no longer, and Mastrix, in all her Vanity, has taken over the city. I fear I might actually have to come back after I submit her report to the Lord. But please, let us sit down, I will tell you more, and as always, exchange stories." She swept past him and headed inside the great hall to take a look around.

Sitting down in the dining chambers, Fuschia had relaxed a little into a nice dragon sized chairs. Having Korlik sit across from her, Fuschia said, "You see, the main reason for my being here. Is Zelamir Bane, The Great Lords Champion, has somehow, someway, escaped from the Chain. It is quite surprising. But then again, Zelamir hasn't ceased to surprise our Dragon kind for many years. But this; is outrageous. I mean how can one, especially a Favored, just get up and walk away from the Chain. And above all, Lord Salazar is in a rage, and last time he was in a rage, he had the counsel of Primes send him to silence the Elves hiding Agnir. And you know how that was. Nothing but a meaningless waste land now. But I'm here mainly for that report and issue Zelamir as a Betrayer of the Chain. Highest Degree of Treason, even worse than killing a Dragon from how the Primes see it. Saddening. I feel that we should let him be though, He put in more years of servitude than even I have. Let him be, but crush everything that he might fight for. A man with no cause, even an Immortal, is a dead man in the end." She sighed and shook her head but perked back up when the servants brought in a steaming juicy looking bear. As they set on the table, she broke off a leg, chewing it casually. The crunching being a little loud, but she never cared, No one but Salazar could ever effect her with their words. Swallowing her food she looked back at Korlik and said, "Well, How have you been? Why is someone as big and important like you doing in Cedarberg? Lord Maelik not have anything else better for you to do?" She smirked at him and let him have the stage for the time being, to woo her with the way he speaks in his ever feet sweeping way.

[Tomaru]

Korlik happily followed Fuschia into the dining chamber, but didn't eat anything himself; he didn't put poison past Mastrix, so he would hunt his own food when he got hungry. When Fuschia explained the situation with Zelamir, she was rewarded with a rare sight for dragons or mortals alike: a wave of shock rippled over Korlik's typically placid expression. He knew it was possible for the chain of creation to be broken, and even had some vague knowledge on the theories behind doing so, but even he did not possess the knowledge to accomplish such a feat. "I remember Zelamir Bane," Korlik said. "He is a fierce warrior and skilled in magic, but breaking the chain is not something that can be done through sheer force of will." Korlik closed his eyes for a moment, his head crunching evidence, comparing correlations and probabilities, and formulating theories, but he kept this to himself for now. "Needless to say, this is rather concerning. Zelamir is Salazar's property, so I will not touch him, but if you at least want him found be assured that I have the resources to do so. As for myself, I suppose I am as well as ever, though there are quite a few issues that must be resolved before my mind is put at ease. I had originally planned on making a brief visit here to resolve the feud between Mastrix and Dirilianox, but I fear this city will require more extensive attention." Here he shifted his head and shifted to the old draconic tongue; neither mortals nor favored needed to hear this. "Mastrix has no control over this city. Yesterday was the largest act of rebellion that I have ever seen. It was clearly conducted by a large organized body. Mastrix refuses to even address the issue, and so threatens the stability of the entire region. This group has demonstrated that they posess explosives, magic, trained fighters, and Ayako-ryu practitioners, yet all of their identities are unknown. It is something that needs to be crushed now, but first I will need to remove Mastrix." A wide grin crossed his face at the mention of removing her. "She is so full of herself that I could hardly call her a worthy opponent. Why, I even spelled out how I intended to take the city from her, yet she has refused to take action. She even fails to see the dissent within her own knights. If she does not act, in two days she will be swept from the board, and it will all be her own doing." Korlik gave a small chuckle before switching back to the common tongue. "But enough politics. I have heard that northern bears, having more fat to keep them warm, are more succulent than those in the south. Tell me, how do they compare to the ones you are accustomed to in the south?" With the business done, Korlik's tone once again filled the room with charm as they discussed idle pleasantries.

* * *

Aliat gathered the few things he would need for the trek, which he only expected to last the day, and proceeded to lead the small team out towards the city gates. The third member of the group was a man named Torrin, a broadsword user a few years older than Aries. He wore simple peasant's clothing and a large traveler's cloak that concealed his blade. "This is Torrin," Aliat said, introducing him to Aries. "He's had a bit of battle experience fighting off Komodians, but when it comes to dragons, he's just as experienced as you."

"Pleased to meet you," Torrin said, offering Aries his hand. As the cloak fell back, a large scar could be seen running up his right forearm. "I'm relatively new to this kind of work as well, so you don't have to feel out of place," he said with a reassuring smile.

As the group approached the city gates, they were naturally stopped by a pair of knights asking them to state their business in leaving the city. Aliat had already devised their cover. "Just going out to get some inspiration from nature. There were plenty of great paintings and poems about the wilderness at the festival, but it's hard to make one from inside the walls." The reason was a typical one at Mastrixenburg; if an artist wanted to paint a tree, they needed to go out and look at a tree. So, the guards let them pass without much trouble. When they left, the shadow that was cast over the world became more apparent. The torches lighting the path were few and far between, and half of them were out. Looking back, Mastrixenburg looked like a glowing cauldron on a plane of eternal night. Even the air was colder, untainted by the heat from the city torches. Of course, people who had lived in Iceridge like Aliat and Aries would still find the weather rather pleasant, but Torrin was grateful for his warm cloak.

They took a path parallel to, but a decent distance from the caravan route. Aliat didn't want to risk alerting the caravan too early, but they would have an opportunity to approach it and gather information once it was in sight. Aliat began scouting the area for a good place to observe the caravan from while remaining hidden, and noticed a tree by a small overhang. It would give them cover, and was also a quaint enough structure for their "inspiriation" story to work, so he led the team there. However, they were not the first ones there. He saw a red-haired woman with countless battle scars wielding a large weapon. She wasn't a guild member, but by the looks of that crossbow, she looked to share at least some of their ideals. "I don't suppose you're hunting deer with that thing..." Aliat said with a friendly grin visible beneath the rim of his hat.

* * *

While Aliat was busy leading the party to the caravan route, Saya was busy remodeling her image. She did away with her fur clothing and replaced it with a simple dress of the local style. She tied her hair up into a tight bun, put on some lipstick, powdered her cheeks, and when she was finished walked right up to Lydin without him noticing. "Hello, my name is Nami Izanagi. I will be accompanying you to the palace."

At first Lydin was a bit confused, but after a couple of seconds he saw Saya through her disguise. "Oh, I didn't recognize you at first Miss... Izanagi." He committed the alias to memory in case he was questioned about it. "Well, I was able to call on those favors, and the guards should be expecting us. Hopefully Mastrix will be in the mood to see us. If not, then getting that coin anywhere should be our priority." Saya gave a solemn nod, then took a deep breath. Perhaps most people were nervous when they asked a favor of a dragon, but keeping her nerves in check was still a wise idea. The two of them approached Mastrix's castle, stopped an appropriate distance before the guards, and bowed. It was Lydin who introduced them. "Good day. My name is Lydin and this is my acquaintance Nami. I believe her majesty should be expecting us. My companion is seeking some temporary employment to help her through some recent misfortunes, and I would like to offer my skills as a bard for whatever Her Majesty believes they are worth. Might we request an audience?"

[GreenGoat]

If there was anything she had learned from the old ranger that took her in, it was to be prepared for the worst. Even the most routine and simple task of hunting for deer can go horribly wrong if she should cross upon an angry bear caught unawares. Amelia still remembered the ways her mentor taught her, his laugh whenever she got something right, and the smell of tobacco upon his shirt.

She had already returned the crossbow to its original state, the string uncocked to prevent it from stretching, and unloaded to prevent mistakes. A few escape routes had already been planned and scouted out should the plan go awry in some way, perhaps an extra battalion of soldiers or the likes. If her arm was still fine, she would have considered using a tactic she used so well before, when she was still able to shoot a crossbow normally. She used to be a good shot once, back when she still had her right arm, utilizing her speed and her knowledge of the forest to outmaneuver and flank her enemies. Only once had she overestimated herself and grown cocky, and that one time costs her an arm.

Of course, she was quite surprised to hear a voice behind her, engrossed in her own thoughts as she was.

She stepped towards the overhang, throwing the crossbow down. With another step, she spun, picking several of the smaller fireglobes, and throwing it up into the air. With the last, she simply followed through with the next step and jumped down from the overhang. All this happened in mere seconds, as she managed to break her fall by rolling onto the ground, just as explosions can be heard above her, as the globes fell down and hit the ground above where she was before. Where there was darkness, now there was light as the overhang above blazed.

The crossbow she thrown down before was a little off where she landed, relatively unharmed save for bits of dirt and dead leaves. Amelia kneeled and reloaded it as fast as she could, and ran away into the darkness.

***

Minutes later, she had managed to clamber up onto a tree, with the crossbow hanging on her back. It did not have a good view of the road, and there would be few opportunity for her to shoot at the caravan from here, but it offered her a good view of where she ran from. Most would not expect to look up a tree when chasing someone she had learned, though there was enough people that would that makes jumping up a tree after a pursuit deadly. She would usually do this under the cover of darkness, or the tree had enough cover to be able to mask her. The cover on the tree was barely adequate, but the darkness would veil her.

Amelia took a deep breath, and pulled down her hood to hide her hair. She stayed unnaturally unmoving, silent save for the soft rustle of cloth against cloth.

She raised the crossbow, and rested it on the stump that was left of her right arm, leveling her eyes with the two pieces of iron used for aiming. Long forgotten was this feeling, this feeling when she was alone and only the target mattered. Invigoration, anxiety, and the rush of blood through the body.

She felt the thrill of the hunt again.

[Telion]

She was very surprised at Korlik's response, it was indeed surprising and unheard of for many centuries. he looked as though the possibilities were endless, and Fuschia read his emotions like an open book, like she always did. He then switched to the Draconic tongue, she listened to him speak his words and replied in the same language. "Mastrix is extremely arrogant, she thought she could slip that innocent bullshit past me, of all people, she tried to do it to me. If you need help with her, say the word. But as far as Zelamir goes, I would like to have you keep and eye out for him, and inform me via mind link. I'm sure Lord Salazar would appreciate that, even if you are Maelik's Fledgling." As they both switched from the Draconic tongue back to english, she said, "The Northern bears are much more beefy, they added quite the seasoning to it, so it does taste much better than the ones in Morohawa, but then again, you can never replace the taste of meat that you have hunted with your own hands." She smiled wide as she had thrown the arm into her mouth, it really was quite better than her own at home, but that's because of the city folk have a much more expensive taste than her usual chief's bear.

* * *

Kyra had explained to Zelamir that she didn't want to fight, she wanted to be in a much more passive environment instead of being trained in battle, even if she had been more than just trained before hand. She said she needed to understand a little more about how things work for herself, if she felt like she should help with the rebellion like Zelamir was doing, she will contact him somehow. He understood how she felt, it was much harder than she might have realized, but he needed to get back into the game. And he needed her safe.

He took her shopping, getting her new and fresh clothes. Guiding her through the crowds of Mastrixenburg, he came to a house on a more untraveled road. Knocking in a specific pattern on the door, it was opened by a man wearing a mask over his face. The man asked Zelamir, "If man were to fly, how would he do it?" Zelamir replied, "By climbing onto the wings of the Flame and taking back what is rightfully is his." the man nodded and let Zelamir in, once past the door, the two hugged and laughed for a second, exchanging the usual 'Hello, how are you, we need to change the password already.' Zelamir turned to Kyra and introduced the man, "Kyra, this is Calvin, He's an old friend of mine, actually, his ancestor was my friend, and it's just a generational thing, I'm his God-Father." Zelamir said to Calvin, "This is Kyra, and she is why I am here. I need you to watch her, if she asks you about the way things are with the dragons, don't hesitate to tell her, she needs to know. I have a lot of... Errands to run," giving him a nod, Calvin understood exactly what he meant by that," And I need you to make sure she is not found or taken by Mastrix or anyone else besides me." Calvin agreed to it and said, "If you're wanting to hit the Nobles hard, there is a massive shipment of ores coming in tonight or tomorrow, and if you want to join the rebellion, that would be a great way to get noticed. It's on the usual shipment road, but it's going to be heavily guarded." Zelamir weighed the chances of the attack at his current state but then remembered something he left here when he came to Calvin's forefather, "Calvin, I need that package I left your grandfather, the Quicksilver."

* * *

Later that day, Zelamir found himself running faster than he had in many years, applying a little bit of the teaspoon of Quicksilver he had stashed away to some of his water, he had taken it by surprise of how much it had beefed him back up. Salazar had given him that small bit when he came to Primehood, Zelamir was first to be rewarded even though it was difficult prize to give, Salazar was in quite the mood. Zelamir stashed it just for this opportunity, he only needed a little bit anyways.

Zelamir was zipping through the city towards the wall of the city, once it was in sight. Zelamir leaped into the air, jumping from wall to wall untill onto a rooftop, He jumped from roof to roof then leaped onto the top of the wall, and off of the wall in the same amount of stealth he had the night before. Leaping as high as he could into the air, he landed by grabbing a branch of a tree, and swinging off onto the ground. Zelamir kept running without missing a step.

He reached about the area that the Carriage holding the Ores should pop up at, looking across the way from the treeline, he saw a small group of people walking. Reaching into his back pocket he grabbed a piece of parchment, writing on it, "If I can see you, so can they. I'm here to help. Z" attaching the letter to a small string, he wrapped the paper around the handle of a throwing dagger. Taking aim he, took a few momentum steps forward, throwing it hard across the small opening, and into a tree about 4 yards from them. He then sat, waiting for them to see what the letter was all about. Hopefully this caravan would come sooner than later. Zelamir could only hope at least.

[Lydyn]

Aries had given the new member a small smile, somewhat grateful for his reinsurance even it wasn't exactly needed, but she didn't say anything finding that her smile was enough of a response. Their walk outside of the city was relatively uneventful though she did find amusement in the reason Aliat gave the guard - artists, haha. There must've been all sorts of artists as Aries was wearing armor, but then again maybe the guard took her as a guard for bandits and the like. It didn't especially concern her, but it was something to keep her mind as they walked into the forest. It had only been a few minutes before they came upon a red-head with a crossbow, aiming the weapon towards the road. 'Is she wanting to attack the caravan as well? A bandit?' she thought to herself.

The knight didn't get much more of a chance to think as the woman tossed her weapon over the cliff and threw some marbles into the air. 'What are tho-' Suddenly the small globes started to explode, causing violent fire to spill forth from the once-small container. Aries reacted, jumping forward to pull Oathkeeper with one swift motion, holding it in front of her like a guard. Another went off - then another and a third one all in succession. The fire and blast covered the trio from sight as if they were being consumed by flames, but underneath the angry explosion, magic was at work. Aries had read this technique was aptly named 'Knight's Guard.' As the fire directed itself towards the group, it suddenly hit an invisible force surrounding the blade and was forced to be split in half to both sides. Only a couple moments passed and the ground was torn and set on fire, leaving the three completely safe and unharmed, the flames and the blast having avoided them all together.

Slowly, she slide her blade back into it's resting place and sighed. She looked back and smiled, partially out of pride and partially that she had avoided getting any of them injured. "Well ... I guess she wasn't that friendly.." Aries glanced back at the scene, the ground torn in two different directions to both sides before deciding to step aside to let Aliat take lead again, adjusting her cloak as she did so to make sure her sword was hidden even with the breeze.