Emu

For the Glory of The Empire

Elias folded his arms over his chest, his face flushing scarlet as Lady LaMontiya talked down to him. How humiliating, her treating him like he was a small child throwing a fit- he was a mage just like her, age didn't matter! He was just, if not more capable than her. Evn worse was that charmed toy, although at this point Elias was sure it was cursed, with all its backtalk. To drive the point of the rabbit home, the slender thief demonstrated his own supposed abilities, throwing a stick into an apple in a man's hand like it was a dagger into a heart. When Elias looked at the man again, he was completely different than his previous appearance. Was he a shapeshifter? Elias's anger temporarily defused as he eyed the man with more curiosity than malice.

Elias opened his mouth to say something, anything to defend himself, but was thwarted by Lady Valtoris's authority.
"Alright, so as much fun as all of this is, showing off and making surprises no longer surprises, our map is actually wandering off, so unless you're on a horse, shut your mouths and get in the carriage. Or we will leave you here, gladly, and then you can dare to go tell the council you disagree with them, boy," Lady Valtoris stated sternly. She then turned and mounted her steed at the front of the carriage.

Elias wanted to scream and thrash and hit something. This wasn't at all how he wanted the journey to start out. The young mage had been made a fool of, and he was clearly out of favor with the group leader now. He would have to work twice as hard to earn her respect now! Rather than hysterically scream and pull out his hair in rage as he so wanted, Elias instead found himself muttering his apologies to the noblewoman as he climbed sulkily into the carriage.

For the Glory of The Empire

Elias was surprised they were leaving so soon- the moment the last person to arrive- a young woman with brown hair in long braids arrived, they were off. Elias gripped the straps of his bag until his his knuckles turned white. This was ridiculous- he hadn’t managed to introduce himself and he didn’t know anyone! They should at least exchange names, for God’s sake. And while he could understand the presence of some of them,

He flinched as what appeared to be a lumbering suit of armor shuffled past him, to a frail looking girl clutching a stuffed rabbit. The creature spoke for Elias as well when it mumbled “ Doesn't belong…”

To his alarm, the toy actually jumped out of the girl’s arm and started talking to the man in a manner that was far too civilized for a child’s stuffed animal. Elias found this quite amusing- was the rabbit charmed, or had she trapped a wisp soul in the toy as a vessel? Either way, it made more sense to do such a thing with a sword or a shield- not a clump of rags and fluff. This was all the more reason for him to quickly agree with the strange beast. Finally, maybe he could voice his opinion. Clearing his throat, he glared at the rabbit.

“ No, he’s absolutely correct. I have no idea how such a frail thing was chosen by the Sage. There must be a mistake! I mean honestly, what are you going to do in a battle? Throw that toy at it?” Elias chuckled, despite his tone getting increasingly annoyed. He turned to the others, looking for their support.

“ A-and what about that?” He pointed to the suit of armor, a touch of fear in his voice.

“ And you! Who even are you? A peasant, a thief?" Elias pointed at the slender man checking his bow.

“ Please, my Lords and Ladies, forgive my outburst. But doesn’t anyone think it’s a bit odd for us elite to be bundled up with them like an awful soup?! Let's turn back and sort this out with the council before we allow these miscreants to join us.” His eyes darted from each of them, his eyes pleading for someone to agree with him.

For the Glory of The Empire

Alrighty guys, I should have a post up before the end of the day, but I'll be pretty busy for awhile.

Aria Bay

@Diamond655 I think you already know, but I'm all ready!

For the Glory of The Empire

@CherrywitchMy God, Eir is precious. I'm kind of terrified to see how she'll fare when danger pops up, though.

For the Glory of The Empire

Elias had prepared for this moment his entire life. Rigoruous training, studying, all his nights of hard work- it was all going to pay off. Although it wasn't quite as impressive as say, being the Grand Sage's new apprentice, or even his replacement, this was going to be a good start. And although it was near impossible to tell merely by looking at him, the young mage was quite elated to be accepted to run such an incredibly important errand. He moved at a quick pace, but not so fast that it seemed like he was running. Elias did feel a bit guilty for neglecting the clear opportunity to hone his skills for a teleportation or perhaps a portal spell, but he wanted to show his future party that he was prepared for the physically demanding journey ahead- and that meant walking the entire way, even if it made his legs sore.

Elias halted for a moment to collect himself before making a last turn, where the gate would be. He took special care to adjust the sash around his waist so the crest was easier to see. He smirked slightly, wondering what his brothers would think when they heard the Grand Sage's council had summoned him. They would certainly be jealous, and that thought alone was quite satisfying.

One deep breath later, Elias turned the corner to see the tall gate. At first, he felt rather underwhelmed at the flimsy looking structure, but upon a closer look, he noticed it was covered in runes and spells. His light colored eyes scanned the people standing by the gate. The small gathering of men and women seemed older than him, and Elias's pride swelled yet again at this. He could only think of the envy they felt right now- his coharts would soon learn he was far more skilled than all of them, and at sixteen years no less! The young mage considered introducing himself, but decided to wait until everyone had arrived.

But then again, did one of the Beauvallets really need introducing?

For the Glory of The Empire

Alright, finally done! Sorry that took so long.

Castle Grimm [A Fantasy Drama]

In any normal occasion, Craggard would have happily accepted any meal the Lady Zecorra had to offer. The threat of death had thwarted his appetite. As he pulled up a chair, he waved away a hovering servant with a small cart of food. The usual excitement that came with a good meal had vanished, and he saw no reason to eat when he felt so sick. It wasn't the idea of killing the confederates that disturbed him- Craggard had watched plenty of his men march into the mines dutifully, only for a handful of them to crawl back out, soot in their eyes and ears and nose, with no ore at all. And this had never bothered Craggard, because death was part of the job, and his workers and their families knew that. But coming to the Grimm Castle wasn't supposed to be an affair of death. And there was no backing out now- he had already agreed to Lord Grimm's little game. As angry as he was, he was grudgingly impressed by how easily he had enticed Craggard and others like him to fall bait for the promise of glory.

The only way to survive, really, was to be a willing player of this game. Alright, you masked bastard. I'll play your game without question now, but after I win, I'm going to go back to being pissed.

The nobleman pulled up a seat among his fellow Onxyites, sitting just across from a rather tall, spindly man, scars decorating the left side side of his face. He recognized the fellow- although the name escaped him. It didn't matter anyway- the man across from him, hunched over and staring straight down at a hunk of bread, looked quite intimidating. Craggard cleared his throat.

" Lost your appetite?" He commented towards the warrior. The man grunted in response. Deciding he wasn't worth striking up a conversation with, Craggard turned his attention elsewhere. The table was long, thin, and a tight fit for both the Empire and the Confederacy to squeeze into. He wondered if this was done on purpose, to further stir the uneasiness between the two parties. His eyes settled on Lazy Grimm, seated at the head of the table with the two knights at her side. He stared intently at the two knights, trying to decide if their elven features were really genuine. Craggard didn't actually know much about dark elves- they were supposed to be bad luck, or at least that was what he had heard. He also noticed two empty chairs- perhaps belonging to the Grimm daughters? He hoped so- the nobleman was itching to speak with at least one of the Grimms directly, more out of morbid curiosity than anything else.

For the Glory of The Empire

So, hopefully I'll post tomorrow as well! I'm admittedly a bit stuck right now how to start off, but I'll be ready by tomorrow.

Aria Bay

@Diamond655 Oooooh, now I'm pumped. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)