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Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by TentacleLord
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In the mountains, the air was clean, and it rained extraordinarily often, carrying with it the scent of fresh grass and the deep chill of seaside spring. Even the throne room of the now great Vinsenian force was no defense against the fell winds and thin air, making the young man in the gilded throne sigh deeply as he glanced down at the female assassin who knelt before him, hanging her head in deep shame. He'd been looking forward to good news, too.

Kayech Del Vinsenia stood up and stretched, cracking his knuckles with obnoxious carelessness and then moving to kneel next to the trained killer. "I really wanted them all alive and taken prisoner, miss." His arm snapped up in a roundabout motion that brought a curved knife into the woman's chest.

"It's really hard to get assassins that do exactly what you want, you know?" His statement to the world at large was nearly drowned out by the woman's shrill scream of agony as the blade buried itself near her sternum, before scraping down and out, ripping open the soft flesh and taut muscle as bones cracked under the sudden pressure. "And if you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself." The next scream was accompanied by a soft squish and the sound of rushing liquid as a burst of arterial blood squirted directly into the new king's face.

He flinched back, rubbing his sleeve over both his eyes to clear his vision before continuing his work. "Since you're actually helping me get over my immense sadness at your failure, and I barely ever get to tell this story, I have a present for you~."

He held a finger to his lips, an angelic grin dancing behind his eyes. "It's a secret between you and me~!"

"See, I was a bastard. I've been told that I get my good looks from my mother, because my father was certainly not easy on the eyes."

"Anyway~, I wasn't supposed to be born. You know the stories, right? Person of royal blood has an illegitimate child, that person gets dethroned by them?" A snort of perfectly cheery laughter, lapsing into a quieter cherubic chuckle. "Funny how even those old stories have some truth in them."

"Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't do all this because I was angry about not having a birthright or my mother being shunned or anything. That'd be silly." He lapsed into silence, contemplating the implications of his last statement, sawing handily at a particularly tough collection of muscle fibers. "The people who use that as motivation usually die, you know? Revenge begets revenge, and then its a mess that no one can clean up."

There was another pause as Kayech pulled out the blade entirely, tapping the bloodied metal on the side of his cheek as he disappeared into the realm of thought. "Kinda like....say, how blood stains rugs, or any sort of cloth, really. It's really hard to get out, and if you don't do it quick it just gets sticky and dirtier than when you started."

"....I probably shouldn't be doing this in nice clothes, huh?"

Shrugging, the man got back to work with a fresh slice, drawing another gasp of pain from the rapidly weakening woman. "Anyway, let's get back on topic, yeah? You silly goose, you shouldn't sidetrack me when I'm telling such a wonderful story~!"

"I did all this because... I could." The charming smile that radiated with almost childlike innocence clashed with the crimson liquid that dribbled down his cheeks.

"It was actually pretty simple. See, the old king had a weakness for two things. One, his women, and two, his entertainment. Sometimes at the same time."

"He was always looking for more of both, right? So I just applied to perform, and-" Kayech looked down, halting his current cut as the now quickly expiring assassin twitched, seemingly loosing even the ability to feel the pain that the newest king was so carefully carving into her body.

The slightest hint of a frown touched the usually happy face, perhaps because he was now unable to tell his secret in full.

"You want me to hurry up, huh? Kinda demanding for a woman on death's door. You really must have been insufferable in life." Despite his words, he continued on with a smile. "That's okay. I suppose I can make an exception, because you've been such a good listener so far!"

"After I took care of the king and his family, I was left with the prince's wife and kid, with the little one being a fat little turd that I couldn't be bothered to kill on the first run. Disgusting, right?"

"As I broke the old king's bones one by one, he told me that I'd never take the kingdom from him, being the bastard that I was. And since he was a frail old man, he'd barely finished the sentence before he died. Kinda a buzzkill, but it got me thinking."

His handsome face turned into one of exasperation. "So, then I'd got to find a good way to prove him wrong, and that meant that I had to make sure that I was the next of kin. You know, hereditary positions and all that."

"Then I realized that I could do something about that with the woman. First, however, I thought that I'd get some entertainment out of it. That's when it struck me! I'd just make her take on the aspects of all the royal family!"

"It wasn't easy, mind you. Getting someone to eat other people is hard even when you don't have your kingship riding on it, so I dragged her to the dining room and sit down to think."

"First things first, I had to keep her there, rather than running away. That's usually the hard part when you're trying to get off, even under good circumstances. So I had to nail the kid to the table with one of the handy pieces of cutlery."

Kayech's messy work took yet another turn, this time accompanied by the sharp smell of acid as he began to ram the blade into the now opened rib-cage. "So I then I have to make her eat each one of her family, and I'm nearly at a loss on how to do that, right?"

His nose wrinkled, the ramming halting as he re-positioned the gore-soaked blade, this time cutting downward toward the lower intestine as the flesh fell away with a warm ripping sound. "Then inspiration struck! The kid! She'd been complaining that I should let 'Let him go' and 'Only hurt me'-" The lord of the Vale dropped the blade to make air quotes with his fingers, seemingly now more interested in his story than the half-dissected woman that he'd been cutting up. "-so I make her a deal. She eats at least a part of everything, even if she throws it up, and then I let the kid go."

Kayech reached down into a pocket of one of his robes, retrieving a knife that was extraordinarily similar to the curved blade that was currently stuck in the corpse's navel, this time only jabbing in the blade when he was making a point in his speech. "Best deal I've ever made, you know. I've never seen anyone-"*stab*"force down a bit of finger after they throw it up twice."*stab*

"And so it went. I made a point-"*stab*"-of showing her every head. At first she cried, nearly drowning out the kid. She threw up a couple more times when I poked out her hubby's eyes out. Then, after the sixth head, she got really, really-"*stabstab*"-quiet."

The musing halted the young king's grim playing, chilling the musky, thickly scented air. "So I had to get back that fear, you know? Because she'd win. I've never liked fair fights, and all of a sudden this broad decides to wuss out and do some denial crap!"

The cherubic expression faded, leaving only one of annoyance and anger as Kayech ground his teeth at the memory. He restarted his stabbings, this time mashing the blade into any exposed part with a grunt and barely contained giggle whenever the blade slid into the exposed flesh. "And so I came up with an even better-"*stabstabstabstab*"-idea! I let the kid go!"*stabstabstabstabstab*"I! Let! Him! Go!"*stabstabstabstabstabstABSTAB*

The silence that followed his bellowing declaration lasted a long, long time, before the now expressionless young king spoke his next words with careful precision, measuring out each syllable in a perfectly paced, disturbingly quiet voice. "....When he was dragged out of the room, screaming and crying for his 'mommy' to save him, I told the poor princy's widow that I had one last surprise for her. I think she already knew, as she began to cry and sob." The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, overly white teeth flashing in the shadows that veiled the king's face. His voice trembled as he tried to make the next part as expressionless as the former, failing miserably. "I let him get to the entrance before I killed him. He burned like a torch, all that fat igniting in a single second." Kayech's breath now came fast and shallow, almost gasping in his attempts to hold back his mirth. "So I-haha-cut off his fat little head, and bring it back to the dining room, right? And so, she's just sitting there, waiting, and then sees what I brought!"

The young man's face twisted, baring his teeth in a sadistic grin that brought a nearly demonic light to his features. His eyes rolled upwards, nearly vanishing into his skull in an expression of almost orgasmic pleasure as the new king savored the next words, letting them roll off his tongue in carefully measured syllables filled with to the brim with mirth. "And the best fucking part? When I showed her the head, she shat herself!" He broke down into helpless giggles, dropping the blade into the gory mess. "Oh you should have seen the look on her face~! She didn't even scream when I killed her! Hehe-She fucking broke! How awesome is that!? HAha! And something that's even better than the best?"

Gasping for breath as tears of mirth streaked down his face, the blood-soaked figure reached over to blade of the royal family, using it as a crutch to heave himself upright again, letting the corpse roll off him and down the stairs of the throne. His blue-green eyes snapped into focus, glaring directly down at the ruined form of the assassin who had failed his direct orders. "It worked!"



Long ago, the Vale(A group of mountains, forming an almost circle around a set of smaller peaks and valleys) was settled by travelers who carried the ancient weapons of heroes, the families who carried Del in their names. Each brought a legendary artifact that was rumored to hold great power, and each chose their own land according to the doctrines that they lived their life for. Del Vinensia, to the west, claimed the rugged slopes and valleys high in the mountains and began to mine, churning out silver and iron to arm their heavily protected guardians. Del Caldegia, to the north, chose the rugged slopes and slanting cliffs to raise their flying mounts and bring about seclusion for the mages of the Vale. Del Monray, in the center, chose to take up a wide tract of densely wooded land in the hopes of allowing their own infantry and economy to flourish. Del Belinni, to the south, took the rolling hills as a great pasture for their crops and horses, growing quickly rich by the vast amount of trade routes that it controlled.

Years past, and all but Del Monray dropped the 'Del' of nobility, instead choosing to let the country be known by simpler names as their ambition and drive waned. Belinni grew bloated with riches, with the nobility living in luxury even as the poor starved. Vinsenia gave up any semblance of self-sufficiency, growing compliant and reliant on the crops that fed through others' land. Del Monray split in a brutal civil war as the citizen's unrest grew, some convinced that the royalty was not worthy of wielding their legendary item. Caldegia's supposed seclusion developed into full-blown isolationism, not allowing any of the mages to leave the lands of their study due to the lower world being 'impure'.

It was then that a new king took the thrown in Vinsenia, and took back the power of his forefathers by wielding the mythic Blade of Kings, riding forth in conquest. It took him less than a month to annex the neighboring city-state of Caldegia, drafting the flying prowess of the army and the magic of the mages to his forces. Next, he set his sights on both halves of Del Monray, taking the royal family a full two weeks before the Free State fell to his generals.

Upon the dawning of the third month since the newest King Del Vinensia took the throne, a group of mercenaries were hired by the relatively rich border town of Charten, Belinni, which stands guard to the trade routes into the Vale Proper. The Conquest of the Free State of Del Monray has brought turmoil to the region, and many fleeing bandits have been reported to ransack and loot villages as they run from the approaching Vinsenian army. However, Charten hasn't received shipments of supplies for weeks now, causing a feeling of impending dread to fall over the town, as if the some inevitable doom is slowly raising the guillotine's blade.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Gwazi Magnum
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Up in the sky above the mercenary camp you could see two shapes flying around, turning about quickly and flying into each other as if in combat. When in fact up above was Seyl and Garin sparing up in the air with their mounts, getting ready for the next mission while discussing current affairs. "You'll get no where like that Garin! You can turn quick enough with that Lance to get me!" Seyl shouted at her husband and then made little effort to hide her laugh. Garin gave her a smug look and said "At least my Lance isn't so heavy it can't be swung straight! Besides, all I need is one good..." he paused as he lunged his lance out again, finally getting Seyl in the gut with his practice lance "Hit!" he shouted his glee "to bring you down". Seyl and her mount stopped and she hung her head down and said "Dammit!" seemingly very frustrated at her loss, but then instantly pulled her head up with a giant grin and said "Though my axe is only to heavy for you dear, most people have no trouble holding it" and then once again barely tried to hold back her laugh as he flew back down to the camp. "Hey wait up!" Garin yelled behind her as he fly behind her back to the camp.

Yali however was very clumsily trying to pick up and swing a practice sword at a training dummy. He knew his odds of using it well was low, he was Laguz meaning that the weapon wasn't designed for him, and at the same time he had never been trained his weapon. Seyl and Garin specifically disallow him from taking part in the practice fights or getting lessons, not wanting him to get hurt. Or use his training as an excuse to join them on a mission, he hated that. He didn't want to be treated like a frail kid, he wanted to fight as well. He was a Laguz! He could easily take down two, three good men in his bird form... He thought, he never actually got a chance to try. But instead of dwelling on it he lifted up the practice sword and went to swing at the dummy again.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by silavor
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Ereshk yawned sleepily as he strolled through the busy market streets of Charten. The thin tendons of his pale wrists were bulging and trembling from the strain of his overloaded grocery bags. The largest sack, right in the middle of the cluster of bags, was full of bright red apples harvested from the southern plains. The rest of the bags had ears of corn, a dozen eggs, and a plucked chicken. On his own this would have easily kept him fed for a week, maybe two, but the mage was part of something bigger now. He had joined a family; or at least, that's what mister Carthul had called it. Ereshk still wasn't entirely sure what he had gotten himself in to.

The past week had been full of learning experiences. Lesson one was that a company of mercenaries ate more than a swarm of locusts, and in half the time. Exhausted, the frail scholar hoisted his bags onto a park bench and sat down beside them to catch his breath. He looked over the groceries he had acquired thus far, and his shoulders sagged in dismay. This wouldn't even be enough for one meal. What would have lasted Ereshk days would be gone in a matter of hours once he returned to camp. That is, if he could return to camp. The flesh on his palms were red, raw, and sore. The scholar sighed, gently rubbing his aching hands on his cloak. His thoughts drifted to home, and to his Master back in Vinsenia. The old king had still been alive back then. The Vale had been a simpler place, a peaceful place. Why all this turmoil and bloodshed? What did this new king hope to achieve?

Ereshk gathered up his bags once more. Every muscle in his upper body ached from the strain, but he was determined to make it back to camp with tonight's meal. Or, well, maybe half of tonight's meal. Tonight's snack? He started going over the list of fellow mercenaries that he could remember from camp.

Well, at the very least, there should be enough apples for everyone to have one.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Nerendier
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Hark sighed as he looked down at bags of food. Hark reached down and grabbed a twine bag. He grunted as he hefted it over his shoulder. The bag was heavy, easily 60 lbs. It felt like potatos too. With his free hand he grabbed another bag, more potatoes, and stacked it over his shoulder with the other bag. As he was grabbing the third bag a few of the other workers grabbed a bag each. Hark towered over the young men, from a distance it would look like he was making children work, just by the size difference. Hark hooked the bag under his left arm and made for the silo, taking his usual giant lumbering strides. Hark didn't appear to struggle with the weight, after all, his armor used to weigh more, and he would often march for miles up hill in it. To just about anyone Hark would appear as a normal, albeit oversized, dock worker. There were some tells that he may have been something more at certain points in his life, but Hark did his best to hide them. Nobody in this town really knew him, sure they had casually talked to him, had a few drinks with him, but nobody knew what he once was. Most of the time Hark just seemed to be lost in thought, and he often was. He always had this distant look in his eyes, as if he wasn't really there.
Out of the corner of his eye Hark saw a piece of silver jewelry on one of the wealthier citizens. The silver reminded him of home, Del Vinsenia. This somewhat uspet Hark. He didn't enjoy being reminded of what was once his home. He certainly missed the crisp mountain air. But what he missed the most was having a purpose. He would definitely have to visit the local tavern and have a few brews.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by MULTI_MEDIA_MAN
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Sighing, Barst mounted his pegasus, looking around and shrugging. Ereshk was running late with the groceries. Again. Why they sent the dark mage to get their supplies, he would never know. Barst himself had offered nearly a dozen times to take over the duty, on account of the fact that he could easily make it to town, get the supplies, load them up, and get back in less than half the time it would take their current marketboy.

Maybe Carthul wanted the boy to keep himself fit. Barst disagreed. There were better ways than to make the young man kill himself by lugging groceries around. He had a solid three inches on Barst but weighed a solid fifteen pounds fewer. He wasn't the most fit mage that ever lived, and Barst thought it a bit cruel to make him carry more than his own weight-almost literally, sometimes.

Lightly slapping his pegasus on the nose, the two took off for Charten, landing just outside of the town not long after. He'd spotted the dark mage from the air, quickly approaching on his pegasus. "Oy, Ereshk, right?!" Calling out to the figure struggling to carry the bags, Barst chuckled. "Want a little help, there? We wouldn't mind takin' a few of those bags off yer hands for a bit." Giving a friendly smile, Barst hopped off of his pegasus and looked at his fellow mercenary. Obviously not the fittest fellow, but for a mage, strength of mind was more important than strength of body. At least, on the battlefield it usually was.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Psyker Landshark
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A battle raged on the border of Belinni and the Free State of Del Monray. Belinnian horseman died in droves as they broke against Vinsenian battle lines, unable to pierce their heavy armor while arrows rained down upon them. Nonetheless, the Belinnian cavalry regrouped as a general in shining armor rallied them from atop his steed. It was at this point that a tall man in rugged plate armor emerged from the lines, riding on his own horse.

"Belinnians, hear me! I am Isaac, general of Vinsenia! Lay down your arms and you need not die this day!" The man roared, his voice booming across the battlefield. However, this was met with a laugh from the other side of the field.

"Lay down our arms? What kind of men would we be if we surrendered now?" The enemy general cried out, brandishing a lance. "General Isaac, I am Alexander, knight and general of Bellini. Face me in battle, man to man, or run behind your lines like a coward!"

Isaac narrowed his eyes at this declaration, irritation running across his face.

"And now he's done it." A Swordmaster standing at Isaac's side shook his head as Isaac drove his steed forward, clutching a steel poleaxe in his hand. "Can't exactly back off from a direct challenge, can you?"

"Not if I want to keep the men in order," Isaac replied, nodding back to his second. "Can't have them thinking me a coward, can I? The center is yours to command while I'm gone, Argus. Relay a message to the commanders on the left and right flanks: have the Caldegian fliers begin circling around the Bellinian army. When the enemy general dies, all units are to charge the enemy while the fliers pincer them from behind."

"Understood." Argus bowed as Isaac rode forward, meeting General Alexander in the center of the field as both sides watched on.

"This is a waste of my time." Isaac scoffed as he dismounted, brandishing his poleaxe. "Surrender and you'll keep your head, General."

"You would face me unmounted?" Alexander twitched in disbelief, incensed at what he believed to be a provocation. "Do you honestly expect to kill me like that?"

"I'm a Vinsenian, General. Horsemanship just isn't my forte." Isaac gave the man a wry grin, raising his poleaxe with confidence. "Now if we're done talking, let's get this over with. I have a country to conquer."

Roaring in fury, the Paladin kicked his horse forward, galloping towards the Hero. Isaac narrowed his eyes as he drew his axe back, waiting to meet the man's charge. The instant before the horseman was on him, Isaac shot forward, ducking under General Alexander's lance as he brought his poleaxe up into the man's chest, tearing through the man's armor as the force of the blow brought him down to the ground with a sickening crunch. Isaac stepped up to the man's body, and grunted as he brought his axe down to cut the general's head off for good measure.

"Belinnians! I have defeated your general in single combat!" Isaac bellowed as he brought the severed head up for the opposing army to see. "This is your final warning! Lay down your arms and quit the field or be put to the sword!" A number of men did drop their weapons and flee, but the bulk of the Belinnian army still remained. Shaking his head, Isaac raised his poleaxe up, pointing it at the enemy lines. "Vinsenians! Charge!"

___

A number of hours later, the Vinsenian army had made camp for the night as the soldiers celebrated their victory. However, Isaac stayed holed up in his tent, pouring over maps of Belinni. It was then that his second stepped into the tent, passing a jug of wine to him.

"Not out celebrating with the men? You should be, you know. The soldiers want to see the man who led them to victory today." Argus gave Isaac a grin.

"Later." Isaac grunted, pushing the wine aside. "What we faced today was only one army of Belinni. They still have other generals leading their own forces. We need to be prepared to meet them in battle, should they ride out. Considering that their forces are composed mainly of horsemen, they still have the tactical advantage in any battle we fight on these plains. We don't have the men to fight off multiple assaults until the king and the other high generals link up with our force."

"Very well, then." Argus nodded. "Also, there's something else that you should know. Do you remember the damned bandits that the king forced us to take along?"

"The ones who weren't in the fight today?" Isaac scowled. "Tell me they deserted. At least then we'd be rid of them."

"Oh, I wish. No, they were out looting and burning the nearby village today. Bastards are still out there, bragging about their pillage. Some of the men are getting antsy. If anything, the bandits might be suffering from an unfortunate accident soon..."

"No." Isaac looked up at Argus, shaking his head. "If word got out that our men were the ones that killed the king's favorites, His Majesty would come down on us." The general looked back down at the map of Belinni, rubbing his chin. "Charten's a rich border town, and it's not too far away from the route we're taking tomorrow. Reports say that the town's hired a mercenary force to guard them."

"A sound plan." Argus nodded in approval. "But if the bandits overwhelm the mercenaries, what then?"

"Have one of the unit commanders accompany them. Have them issue tactics that ensure the fools get themselves killed."

"Understood. And who would be the poor soul that has to endure these men?"

"Hmm..." Isaac folded his hands together in front of his mouth in thought. "Von Schmitt. The woman that got pulled out of retirement. I don't quite trust that she's loyal to me yet. I want to see how she reacts to being told that she has to lead men to die, even if they are undisciplined scum. Have her brought to me tomorrow morning before we march."

"As you command." Argus gave a bow before exiting the tent, leaving Isaac to continue his planning.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by PURRfect93
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Alice sat in her tent cleaning her armor from the recent battle. As much as she would like to be with the other men drinking and enjoying the victory, she wanted to get her gear cleaned and ready so that she was ready for the next fight. She rested each piece on small tarp until she both her armor and weapons were clean. She took her time to go over her lance however. It wast long until it to was cleaned. "To think that we are supposed to work alongside bandits..." she muttered, lost in her memories.

"General Von Shmitt?" a voice called from the outside of her tent.

Alice stepped out, still garbed in her chain-mail underarmor. "Who the Devil- oh, Argus, apologies." She welcomed the Swordmaster with a slight nod. "To what do I owe the honor of your kindly visit?"

"General Issac wishes to see you in the morning before we march, and he asked me to deliver the message."

Alice nodded once more. "Understood. Assure him that I'll be there."

Argus nodded and left, And Alice returned to her tent. She checked over her armor and weapons once more before being satisfied that they were in top condition. With a sigh she let herself relax a bit. Tying up her hair into a simple tail and placing her iron axe upon a small holder on her back. Still wearing her mail she headed out to rejoice with her fellow soldiers, prepared for a fight if it came, but hoping it would wait until tomorrow.
Alice let out a laugh as yet another soldier fell into a drunken stupor in an attempt to out drink her. "Is there no man who can beat me?" she called out, laughing again once more. Her fellow soldiers cheered her on, although no new challenger appeared.
Raising her mug, she yelled out a toast. "A toast to our victory, and a toast to more that come!" she was greeted by an even louder cheer and smiling faces as everyone drank once again. It wasn't long until the rejoicing ended however and everyone headed back to their tents to sleep off their ale and wine. They all needed to get ready for the march in a few hours.

On the way back to her tent she bumped into one of the bandits that had ditched the fight and pillaged a nearby village during the fight. Before she even knew who it was she had laughed as the man nearly fell over.

"Watch we'r ya going wench!" the man shouted at her as he regained his balance. Alice grabbed him by his shirt and glared at him in dim light.

"I'll tell you this now, and ill only tell you once. I don't like you. I don't like your ratty little group. And i sure as hell will not be letting you talk to me like that. If not for your good graces with the king, id have killed you all by now. I am General Alice Von Shmitt, and you will treat me proper as a general."

For the first few moments, the man had a look of terror on his face until she had mentioned her name, but after that he seemed to be grinning a bit.

"Aye, yer probably be right about the kings favor, but i doubt yu'd survive a second encounter if you took us on again!"

As soon as the words left his mouth Alice became confused. Surely he wasn't talking of the red fangs? The man used her confusion to her advantage and kicked her square in the chest, pushing away and free of her grasp, and took off into the night. Alice stood, brushed off, and headed back to her tent deep in thought...
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Ereshk was breathing very heavily as he hobbled down the road out of town. The bags were wobbling dangerously in his shaking arms, and came very close to spilling more than a couple times.
In, out. In, out. In, out. He could ignore the pain in his arms if he focused on his breathing, but it also cost him his perception of everything but the road in front of him. Consequently, it came as a bit of a shock when a pegasus landed right in front of the mage. Ereshk jumped a little when it appeared the pegasus could talk; and it knew his name to boot! Pegasi weren't supposed to talk, right? They were smart, and had a sort of magic of their own, but Ereshk was sure they weren't supposed to talk.

As the mage's senses fully returned to reality he realized that there was a man on the back of the pegasus, and it was the man who was talking, not the steed. Ereshk thought the stranger looked somewhat familiar. The man knew his name, so he was probably one of the other mercenaries from camp. Right? Did that make sense? How late was Ereshk, anyway? Was this man sent to find him? The mage looked up at the sky. The sun was a lot further along than he had hoped.

"Oh! Um. I'm sorry," Ereshk replied, setting the bags down on the road in front of him. He quickly shook out his arms, trying to get feeling back. "Some help would be appreciated, yes."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by MULTI_MEDIA_MAN
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Smiling at Ereshk, Barst stepped up to the bags, grabbing a few in his hands. Walking over to his pegasus, he placed some of the grocery bags in the saddlebagsattached to his mount's saddle. Making sure they were secure on each side of his partner, Barst turned back to the mage. "I'd rather not fly these back. Between the pair of us and the groceries, we might tire the poor guy out a bit too much." Jerking his head to his pegasus, he grabbed some more bags and nodded at the few that remained. "But I think the walk isn't too bad. And now that you aren't weighed down by half the camp's meals, you'll probably have an easier time of things." Shrugging, he turned around and started off on his way back to camp.

After a moment, he paused for a moment, looking at his fellow mercenary. "I'm not sure if we've ever been properly introduced. Name's Barst. Barst Palatine. I'm a mounted archer. How's the whole mercenary thing treating you? I'm kinda used to the work, being a former Caldegian knight, but once that war broke out...well, that ended kinda quick. Found myself down in Belinni before I knew it, signing up with whoever I could. Just didn't want to sit around I guess..."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by silavor
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"Oh, you're from Caldegia?" Ereshk inquired curiously, picking up the remainder of the supplies Barst had left behind. He hurried after the man and his pegasus. Ereshk's long traveling cloak fluttered behind him as he moved. The raven insignia gave off the illusion of flapping wings while the mage was in motion, shifting with every step and with every subtle change in the wind.

"I'm Ereshk by the way, though I guess you already knew that, huh." The mage chuckled to himself as he tried to match Barst's pace. "Everything here is so different from my apprenticeship. Cooking our own meals, cleaning our own clothes, carrying our own bags, it's all just so foreign."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Psyker Landshark
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Psyker Landshark return to monke

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The following morning, Isaac scowled as he looked upon the bandit captain, only briefly nodding at Alice when she arrived in his tent.

"Ah, Commander Alice. You're finally here. Now let's get on with it." Isaac said, pointing down at the map on the table in front of them.

"Why's the wench here, General?" The bandit captain drawled, lazily picking a finger through his teeth. "You givin' us a minder?"

"You'll speak when spoken to, am I understood?" Isaac snapped, glaring at the bandit. "Half the camp wants you lot dead for deserting the battle just to loot a village yesterday, and it's only by my grace that you still get to keep your heads. Now be silent." The general looked back down at the map, pointing to a dot rather close to the thumbtack marking their current location. "This is the town of Charten. It's a rich border town slightly to the north of where we are right now. To put it simply, I want it looted and burned. You're good at that. However, you will be taking orders from Commander Alice. As yesterday proved, you and your men can't be trusted to follow orders on your own. Am I clear?"

The bandit scowled, spitting on the ground. "This is shite. We don't need no bloody woman watching our ba-" That was as far as he got before Isaac slammed the pommel of his sword into the bandit captain's gut, doubling him over before the general punched him in the throat and slammed him into the ground.

"Even looking at your idiot face disgusts me." Isaac hissed, planting his foot on the bandit captain's chest. "But you will follow my orders, or I'll kill you right now. You might have the king's favor, but he won't miss just one of you. And I imagine any of your fellows would be eager to take your place. Do you understand where I'm going with this?" The bandit captain frantically nodded to this, still clutching his throat in pain. "Now, will you listen to orders, or are you going to be the victim of a tragic, drunken accident?"

"F-fine...you win." The bandit captain rasped. At this, Isaac took his foot off the man and helped him back up, dusting him off.

"Good man. Ensure that your men follow orders too, or one of them will be taking your place. Now get them ready to move out."

As the bandit captain left the tent, Isaac turned to Alice.

"Commander Alice, your assignment is to make sure none of those bandits make it back to camp alive." Isaac said blithely once the bandit captain was out of earshot. "The village is guarded by a mercenary company. Do whatever you can in your power to make sure those men get themselves killed. Bring along a few soldiers from your squad as well, in case the fools try to mutiny. Should the bandits actually win, you and your men will finish them off as they're busy looting. And one last thing: keep quiet about this. It won't end well for either of us should the king discover that we got his favorites killed on purpose. Understood?"
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by The 42nd Gecko
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Ashielle stalked a path quite a distance outside the town. It was dangerous work to scout on foot this far outside the town, with bandits of late, but to scout on foot meant you were less likely to be discovered. A lone soldier made much less noise than a pegasus or horse. Still, Ashielle was not particularly stealthy, though not particularly loud.

Her rounds were greeted by an unnatural silence that had fallen over the forest. It was not dead silent, but still. Birds were sparse, few and far between. Insects still made their noise, as they always did, if more subdued. Ashielle had yet to spot a single larger creature, no deer or such, and only a single rabbit and no squirrels.

Thus when Ashielle heard a rustling bush, it stood out clearly, and she turned, instinctively raising her shield. A boar slavered its way out of the underbrush, a wounded leg prominent.

"To be unable to escape thanks to a broken limb... My pity." Ashielle raised her lance, her voice as even and emotionless as her mask. There was no way the maddened and frightened creature would let her tend it, and it was a wild animal that could not be given time to heal. "I shall grant you a swifter escape than will come for the rest of us."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by PURRfect93
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PURRfect93 From the old guild I came, In the new guild I live

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Alice woke before sunrise, her head aching a bit. a quick drink of water and it was on its way out. It took her all of fifteen minutes to get ready, donning all of her armor and weapons. Fully satisfied that all was well and strapped up proper Alice left for general Issac's war tent. On her way she ran into a small group of soldiers who were actually up on time and eating. they gave her a warm greeting and invited her for a morning meal. seeing that the sun was still barely on the horizon she gladly accepted. A full belly was a welcome thought before dealing with more planning. While they ate they talked and joked around enjoying the quiet and the warm food. Glancing at the sun again Alice bade the soldiers a farewell and a thanks as she resumed her way to Issac's tent.
Upon arrival she noticed that the bandit had managed to show up before her.

"Ah, Commander Alice. You're finally here. Now let's get on with it." Isaac said as she entered.

"Why's the wench here, General?" The bandit captain drawled, lazily picking a finger through his teeth. "You givin' us a minder?"

it took a good bit of willpower to hold her tongue as the bandit dug himself a grave. Issac's quick words however gave her a bit of relief. Having to watch them, however, was going to suck.

The bandit scowled, spitting on the ground. "This is shite. We don't need no bloody woman watching our ba-" the bandit couldnt finish as General Issac made sure he position was clear. Had he not, Alice was about to. The bandit gave up and agreed, and left shortly thereafter.

"Commander Alice, your assignment is to make sure none of those bandits make it back to camp alive." Isaac said blithely once the bandit captain was out of earshot. "The village is guarded by a mercenary company. Do whatever you can in your power to make sure those men get themselves killed. Bring along a few soldiers from your squad as well, in case the fools try to mutiny. Should the bandits actually win, you and your men will finish them off as they're busy looting. And one last thing: keep quiet about this. It won't end well for either of us should the king discover that we got his favorites killed on purpose. Understood?"

Alice gave a curt nod. "Aye. Ill make sure that they die. I've no want of them here any more then you do sir. And you'll not have word spread of it. One question however, Do i have leave to do as i see fit when it comes to the mercenaries?"
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by MULTI_MEDIA_MAN
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Barst grunted at Ereshk and nodded his head slowly. "Yep. I was actually a knight before this whole thing started. But my unit got routed, and before we knew it, we were prisoners in the middle of occupied territory. Escaping was nothing easy either. But, I made it out with my men, and we went our separate ways. A few went into Belinni to join their military, but I decided I'd work on my own terms after what happened." The other man's cape was an interesting thing to look at, but as he remembered, most mages had a bit of flair to them.

"What was your apprenticeship like? Don't tell me ya did all that stuff using magic to 'practice your control' or something like that?" Chuckling, Barst kept his pace going forward, enjoying the time spent with his ally. It was always better to fight with friends at your back and sides rather than be alone.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Vincanity
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Vincanity

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"Do we need to go through this little town?" Lasair asked as he prodded the fire that he and Helath sat across from each other at. Sammael, sitting on a thick branch not far above them, was watching the forest for any sign of movement. "We need to stock up on some food and concoctions for the road Lasair." Helath said as he looked at the map, half of a bone from a rabbit in his mouth. "It's the only nearby town for a few days in each direction. And although Sammael can live on nuts and berries alone- ow! hey, it's a compliment!- ugh, we really need to get some supplies. If we don't-"

"Stop sucking on that rib bone Helath. It's not healthy to ingest all the marrow." Nialas said, coming up from the opposite direction that Sammael was watching, one spear on his back and the javelin in his hand being used as a walking stick. His other hand carried a fairly large fish and his boots were wet. "We can split some of this before we get into town so we aren't buying food on empty stomachs. It's a quick way to empty our purses."

While Helath mumbled to himself about the deliciousness of rabbit marrow Sammael chimed in with a quiet observation. "If we ALL knew how to survive on just 'nuts and berries' we wouldn't have a need for money." As he spoke the archer took his knife against his arrows feathers, shortening them by barely a nail's length. "Nialas and myself cannot keep provide food without either of you two dolts ever contributing. Besides eating the meal, that is." he muttered, jumping down from the tree just as a quarter of fish was tossed at him. Helath and Lasair were both roasting their pieces over the fire, but Sammael was fine with eating it raw. Nialas was also taking large bites out of his own meal.

"Can we eat on the go then?" Lasaiar asked, standing up and beginning to stomp out the fire. "The sooner in and out the sooner we reach a town with some gold to spare." As their few belonging were already packed to go, the brothers put their packs on and began their walk towards the town of Charten.
"Stugmarr or Stalliga is fine with me, I just do NOT want to go to the Rak'Thurr Empire. Do you know what they do to Laguz and Branded there?!" Lasair dramatically spoke as they walked into town. "Trust me, let's avoid heading north when we get to the edge of the mountain range." Their first turn took them to the marketplace. While there seemed to be a lack of goods because of the war, there were plenty of stalls still open with food and trinkets. Helath broke formation first, finding a place that sold "authentic Goddess Dolls and Talismans". Nialas groaned at the childish actions of his brother, holding his head in both his hands. Feeling a slap on his back, Nialas jolted forward as Lasair walked by him. "Oh, loosen the reins! Lets get a little trophy for our journey, yeah?" he shouted back, then turned toward the vendor and got his bartering face on.

With another groan Nialas and Sammael walked towards the food vendors. After spending a couple minutes gathering a few select fruits and breads the lancer muttered to himself under his breath. "He won't be too happy when he remembers I'm the one carrying the money." Nialas said in a matter-of-fact tone. In response the archer let out a rare chuckle that astonished Nialas to turn and look at him. "What could possibly be so funny?!" Sammael simply pointed to his brother's belt buckle and a pair of loose strings that used to hold their money sack. Even after a few seconds of staring at the strings Nialas looked up at Sammael, whose eyes glanced over toward their other two brothers for a quick moment. With it finally registering in his head, Nialas stormed back over to the stall with random trinkets and hit Lasair in the head. "Give me the money back! We have more important things to buy then some stupid... I mean, endearing, trinkets. Escuse us Ma'am." Nialas said with a bow to the redheaded female vendor before snatching the significantly lighter purse back from his brother. Giving it a jingle, Nialas groaned again. "What the hell did you buy?"

"These!" Helath exclaimed, showing off a pair of blank, metallic badges. One gold and one silver, each were circular and had intricate markings on the outside edge. "She was selling them at half price, so I figured I should pick them up while I could. She called them "Earth and Ocean Seals" and they look awesome."

Hard pressed not to kill either of his brothers, Nialas jabbed his finger into Lasair's side. "You know we're stuck finding some work now, right? We barely have enough for a day's meal now because of this."

"Yeah, yeah. Lets join a merc group or something for a week. That usually gives us some decent money plus we can steal a couple meals while we're in town!"

"We don't even know if they're in need of defenders. There may not even be one in this town Lasair!"

"We passed one on the way in the city." Sammael muttered, shaking his head before walking off in the direction of the camp of mercs. Lasair caught up to Sammael and put his arm around the other's shoulders. "Thats the spirit!"

two paces behind them Helath was polishing his new seals and Nialas was retying his coin sack, mumbling profanities along the way.
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