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Under the Shadow of the [ e c l i p s e ]

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Tsu'Ro sighed to himself as they were ushered out of the throne room. He supposed the outcome was just inevitable no matter how they presented themselves. Chin up master...perhaps this is for the best maybe.... Firu suggested to the brunette as he watched in black and white while the male slipped on his hood. Perhaps they can feel their demise closing in on them....and they know it is useless to fight the darkness coming to consume their very being... there was a sadist smile of sorts on Tsu's lips as they walked down the long corridor making their way to the exit. That looked he imagined on the elven king's face plated back in his mind and he softly chuckled to himself. I hope I am here to witness their destruction when it comes....foolish...stuck up creatures...they deserve nothing more than death. A little harsh don't you think master? Fools don't deserve mercy... Tsu took in a deep breath, tasting a night air...happy to be out of the Elven palace. Even though it was huge in size, he felt closed in, claustrophobic even...and he was literally counting down when he would explode from the anticipation of reaching the outside world again.

Tsu just listened as everyone talked, his expression now empty. He wasn't big on voicing his opinion unless needed. In fact...he wasn't big on voicing himself at all really. He wasn't exactly the talkative type, and he wondered at times how the hell he ended up friends with Brand since he was pretty much the complete opposite of him. Then again, Tsu was looking for a companion of sorts at the time to accept him, and Brand well...he was just really good at making friends. He captivated his heart with his...determination to better himself and the world... Whatever decision the came to he didn't care, as long as Brand was going he was going...

A small smile touched his lips however, when Brand spoke. His presence always seemed to lighten the demon up whenever he was falling into one of his darker moments. He sensed something was off about the other however... He wanted something out of the trip, but wasn't elaborating on what. He was up to something, he almost wished to know what... But then again, surprises were more fun with the blonde. He always ended up doing something so--out of the ordinary. He bit back a soft chuckle as he watch the elf break a piece of the leaf statue off, and then back away cutely as if nothing even occurred. If only he knew alchemy...perhaps he could have fixed it. Then again...Brand was known for breaking stuff so...it would have been pretty useless to fix it since the other was accident prone.
 
The mighty King of Darkness sat on his sister's throne, his sharp golden eyes locked on a pathetic, groveling figure that stood several feet from his throne. Since he had taken over, Elzier had fallen under his complete control, with guards stationed everywhere to enforce order after the war, make sure that Elzier could not be easily retaken after the king had put so much effort into capturing the grand city. The man standing before the king was a Magistrate, a man who he had appointed to govern the people he had left behind. As it turned out, the Magistrate had begun working behind his back, stealing money and using the peopleâ??s taxes on himself. Men like this gave Vayne's empire a bad name, and Vayne was very willing to make an example of such scum. The man's face was cold, his golden eyes locked on the magistrate that stood before his throne. "Do you know why I have called you here?" The man shook his head innocently, making the king only a little more angry.

Standing in the shadows to each side of the King's new throne stood an armored, cloaked figure. The blackguard that guarded the king personally were terrifying visages, and only seemed to make the man who stood before the king more nervous than even before. The blackguard never left the king's side, and no one outside the king's inner circle even knew what they were. The guards glowered at the man, hidden away from within their hoods, watching his every movement with hidden glares. "Don't try to lie to me, I know what you have been doing. Vayne frowned and leaned forward slightly. "Tell me, Magistrate, do you know how I punish such corruption?" Vayne leaned forward in his throne, his steely expression not giving way to the anger, this man's actions resulted in the deaths of a number of his soldiers, he would not let that go without punishment. The man's eyes widened, Vayne knew exactly what he was doing, of course he did. "Do you think I am stupid? That I would not notice the little leaks in information, the gold going missing. You leech wealth that could go towards the goals of the empire, hoarding it to yourself to increase your own wealth and satisfy your own greed?" Vayne would not tolerate anyone stealing from him. â??No one steals from me and gets away with itâ? Vayneâ??s voice turned deadly cold when he spoke that last sentence, a chill moving through the room as the Dark Kingâ??s wrath turned deadly.

"Bastard!" The man, realizing he had nothing to lose pulled a hidden dagger from his cloak, his last resort. Vayne didn't even move, but the shadows followed his mental commands, and he simply frowned. In a split second the man's body was suspended into the air by several shadowy spikes that leapt from the ground, impaled through his heart, and several other locations, his blood spilling to the floor. Vayne turned his head, noticing that his blackguard had moved their hands on their swords in case something was to happen. The dark king looked back to the mortally wounded spy lying on the floor, bleeding all over his carped and scowled â??Patheticâ?¦ Get this scum out of my sight, if he survives, take him to the dungeons for interrogationâ? It wasnâ??t likely, but he would at least get the money the man had been hoarding back.

When the Turncoat Knight barged into the room Vayne was sitting on his new throne in a rather relaxed pose. Even in this pose, even though he was practically more relaxed than he was before was still even in itâ??s posture. His previous fury had faded quickly enough that he was able to sit back in the throne and the guards had calmed down. Two servants were already moving to dispose of the corpse before it bled too much over the queen's expensive carpets. The servants hustled past the fallen knight and left the room. "Ah, good to see you Gandrian, you took your time getting here" The king noticed the state of dress he was in, and that he still smelled like coitus. â??Did I interrupt a personal moment?" Vayne's words were almost teasing; his voice was gentle, that to Gandrian would shine through as sarcasm. Gandrian was obviously upset with his master summoning him at the time, and Vayne was big on those he summoned arriving in a timely manner. Vayne didn't care for Gandrian's feelings on that subject, he knew what he was doing, and knew what he did. â??riseâ? Vayne gave Gandrian the cue to stand from his kneel, satisfied with the obedience that the simple gesture showed. Vayne knew what Gandrian had been doing before he summoned him.

"Gandrian, Soldiers take years to train, even if they are just regulars" The king chided Gandrian, he had killed yet another soldier in his army, one who was perfectly good at commanding his regular troops. "Please don't make a habit of killing them..." Vayne didn't sound angry, he wasn't really, and Gandrian could likely get off free if he informed the king of some failing of the officer's However Vayne didn't want Gandrian slaying his own troops at his own whims, except the irregulars of course, Vayne really didnâ??t like those fools. Vayne hated mercenaries, but he was wise enough to realize the opportunity they presented, the fact that they could spare the lives of his own soldiers by weakening an enemy that would otherwise cause problems. The male leaned forward in the throne, correcting his posture, he got very few chances to relax, and now was not one of them

Vayne glanced at Gandrian from his throne, the young male had gone far, and from the traumatized little boy that he had found him as to the warrior he was now. â??Gandrian, it has been some time since we have conquered this land, and the shards of the Amulet have finally begun to awaken. I can feel their power sifting in from multiple directions, from all over the Marosia and with the survivors still free, there is a chance that they will be searching for them as well.â? Vayne had been a busy man since that night, things had gone perfectly well until the queen died, the Amulet would have been his, but it shattered instead, and the three individuals who actually posed a threat got away from him. Since then Vayne had been a very busy man, Vayne had taken care of Kaliâ??s body, burying her in the family crypt and placing members of his blackguard to prevent anyone from disturbing her final resting place. He had conquered Elzier beginning with itâ??s capitol, stopping rebellion with Gandrianâ??s aid as he conquered the rest of the country, utilizing brute force and masterful tactics to ensure he now controlled the entirety of Elzier, and was now preparing to continue his invasion further into the northern land. â??I have called the other commanders, before we begin our little meeting, we shall wait for them to arrive."

The king didn't mind waiting a little longer, he had summoned his other generals, and they were not located as close to the throne room as Annie had.
 
After a few moments of waiting, it seemed like Vayne was ready to acknowledge him. The man that had been speared to death wasnâ??t something he cared to concentrate on, so he didnâ??t stray his eyes away from the Kingâ??s. Had Vayne interrupted him during some personal time?

â??Nah, its all good.â? he replied, shifting from one knee to sit on the floor with his legs curled in front of him. For a brief moment, he glanced down at his legs, making a bowed shape with his knees and his feet pressed against one another. The thought, â??Criss-cross apple-sauce!â?? crossed his mind, causing a grin to spread over his lips. And for just that moment, he might have looked like a child againâ??like the eight year-old that had sat in this very spot, in this very position, looking up at the very same male just years ago. The only difference was that back then, Gandrian was looking at the crowned princess and her older brother. Now, there was only the prince, a king now of his own making.

At the notion that they were to wait for the other officers, the small grin on his lips vanished. It wasnâ??t so much as waiting for them, as he was dreading to see one of them.

Aneolisâ?¦ the Siren.

She wasnâ??t a threat to him nor was she malicious towards him. In all reason, there should be no problem between the two. But her presence was a dark reminder, one that even years havenâ??t erased. â??Do I have to be here for the meeting? If so, there better be cookiesâ?¦â? he mumbled, bowing his head like some spoiled child that was forced to be there without wanting to be.
 
â??Do you have a wife and child now?â?

â??Noâ?¦there has and always will be just youâ?¦.my beloved Aneolisâ?¦â?

The siren couldnâ??t help but let out an overjoyed laugh as her new dolly was finally molding just perfectly. Peach fingers outstretched slowly and with a gentleness trailed down the maleâ??s torsoâ?¦. â??Mmmhmâ?? she moans softly, the silky feel running against her skin sending shivers through her entire frame. Glancing up at the mirror above them she smilesâ?¦just a little though. If she didnâ??t stare too closely, he really was a flawless replica of her adored Malakâ?¦ Looking down at him closely though, wrinkles began to form above her brow as she gazed into his eyes. â??Dammitâ?¦if I could just get these rightâ?¦all would be perfectâ?¦â? she murmurs to herself as she grabs at his jaw roughly to analyze the problemâ?¦ â??Perhaps I could take them outâ?¦ Would you like that Malak dolly? Would you like for me to remove these accursed eyes?â? she questions as her thumb runs over his bottom lip, her tongue slowly peaking out to run over her lips as she did.

â??â?¦.â? The warlockâ??s copy said nothing, as green eyes just gazed into her vibrant silver orbs, reflecting her flawless beauty. â??Wellâ?¦I guess Iâ??ll have to work on your talking as wellâ?¦now wonâ??t I dolly?â? she questions her subject once moreâ?¦. â??Yesâ?¦my beloved Aneolisâ?¦â? She grins widely. â??I see what the problem isâ?¦â? she begins as her hand drops down from his face and to his beautiful neckâ?¦ â??You still arenâ??t quite thereâ?¦.there is a bit of your original form I still have yet to rid you ofâ?¦.but thatâ??s fineâ?¦for the things Iâ??ll do to you will completely consume your mind soon enoughâ?¦.â? Suddenly there were several knocks upon the Sirenâ??s door. â??Time to test his looks outâ?¦â? she murmurs to herself softly. â??Go on dollyâ?¦.go answer the doorâ?¦perhaps it is the â??real youâ??â?¦â? she says with a soft chuckle to herself, as she imagined the somewhat surprised look upon Malakâ??s face as he stares upon a double of himself.

The siren shifts upon the bed as she watches the other like a movie as he grips the rose-shaped knob. Opening the door widely, the woman canâ??t help but laugh at the frozen expression upon Vayneâ??s servantâ??s face as they gazed upon the glorious replica before them. â??Ah Master Malakâ?¦.Beautiful Sirenâ?¦.K-king Vayne would like to see you in his throne roomâ?¦.â? Aneolis watches intently, wondering how the other would react to the situation at hand. She couldnâ??t believe the servant so foolishly fell for the fake before him. Then againâ?¦she was brilliant, her skills in what she did were nearly masteredâ?¦ He was quite perfectâ?¦.it was just those eyesâ?¦. â??Alrightâ?¦â? her thoughtful expression fades into one of surprise as the doll actually responds. The servant bows, his smile catching the sirenâ??s eyes. â??Hmâ?¦perhaps he was happy because he didnâ??t want to go into Malakâ??s labâ?¦â? she says to herself as she watches the other shut the door and return to her bed, beside her. â??Lovely...performanceâ?¦â? she says as she slips off the bed.

The siren wandered across her room to look upon the mirror one last time before she goes to visit Malak, and then the King. She never brought her portable mirror with her whenever visiting either oneâ?¦she found it quite distracting to her cause. As she approached the door her precious replica stood to follow. â??Noâ?¦you have to stay here for nowâ?¦No worriesâ?¦your brethren are quite friendlyâ?¦â? she says with a grin before disappearing out the door. She would toy with him a bit later, but for now, she would just take one of guards from outside her roomâ?¦just in case she got bored of walking or somethingâ?¦. She wasnâ??t all that close to the throne roomâ?¦at allâ?¦and it was such a boring walk there every time. But toda---well whatever the time of the day it wasâ?¦for all she knew it could have been night time. She was all to focused upon Malakâ??s double to pay attention to the time of day. Anyhow, this time she would have the warlock accompany her there. Not even half way to her destination, the siren resorts to having her servant carry her to the warlockâ??s lab. She wondered if he were workingâ?¦or just playing around. Once she was outside of his lab, she orders her servant to put her down. Straightening out her outfit and hair, she then turns to her dolly. â??Soâ?¦how do I look?â? she questions. â??Beautiful as alwaysâ?¦Aneolis...â? the blonde replies. Turning to face the warlockâ??s door, she knocks, hopefully it was loud enough to be heard.

"Oh Malak...." she calls out sweetly.
 
Lord Malak of Darkwood stood by a long operating table at the edge of a large pit in one of the rooms of his laboratory, leaning over the body of a naked young woman who had been clamped down to the table. The room was dark, and the Warlock's eyes glowed an eerie green color as he worked on the woman strapped to the blood-covered metal table. Occasionally, a large shadow would move restlessly from beneath in the pit into which her blood drained. Malak was wearing a sleek black apron over his robes, meant to catch blood as it splashed whenever he made one of his cuts. The woman was alive, and conscious, her lips had been sealed together to stifle her screaming and her body twitched in pain every couple of seconds.

Malak smiled as his current subject twisted and writhed in the chair, reacting so well to every stroke of his instruments, his scalpels, his needles, his dark magic burning every nerve she had while slowly restoring her flesh in an unbelievably painful way, he kept her alive the entire time. . Malak had removed the girl's limbs and regrown them several times in the last couple hours and used his powerful magic to mute her screams of pain, having grown bored of them hours ago. The girl's eyes were empty, her spirit broken after hours of long torture. Malak had been attempting to learn how to instill the ability of regeneration into his creatures, but after three hours of experimentation, after cutting out her heart and replacing it with a stone, then putting it back in place when that didn't work... really, now he was just having fun. "Now, now sweetheart, it is almost over" Malak's grin never faded. He had effectively ruined the girl's life, and of course would end it in favor of a new test subject very, very soon.

While much of the castle had not been altered in much any way by Lord Vayne's soldiers, save for some decorations being outfitted with the king's insignia and colors, Malak's lab had undergone a radical change. The warlock had moved various items and apparatus from his real lab in his home region, giving the entire area the feeling and look of a cross between a Library, torture chamber, and crypt, coupled with Malak's own aura and the smell of blood and old books made the place very unpleasant for most. The siren's knock went unnoticed by the Warlock, too deep in his experiment to pay attention to outside distractions, however, it did not go completely unnoticed, Black ears perked and a furry body moved away from the door, trotting down the hall to Malak as he worked.

Malak's fun was interrupted by the sound of a deep, growling voice from behind him, speaking one word to get the warlock's attention.

"LordMaster..."

Malak looked up from his experiment, much to the relief of the woman who lie on the table, his smile breaking for a moment, his head turned to his familiar and he spoke.

"What is it Fenrir? I am busy."

Malak turned around from his victim and looked slightly down, he knew the voice, and where to look to note where his favorite familiar was standing. Fenrir was a wolf, a gigantic wolf large had jet black fur and green eyes almost as luminous as the one he referred to as "Lordmaster" . Fenrir was Malak's alpha wolf, the leader of his beloved pups and his most loyal servant. Darkwood wolves were more impressive specimens than the wolves of other countries, generations of taint exposure left them much more aggressive and intelligent enough to speak in a crude way.

â??Intruder is at the door, Smells not human, voice is womanâ?

"Hm, I wonder who it could be?â? Malak spoke to himself, turning back to his victim â??I must be being summoned, oh how I despise having to end such funâ? Malak was used to not recieving visitors all that often. Few in the Dark army were brave enough to approach his lab, as it's owner had gained quite the terrifying reputation. It was actually fitting, as many vanished inside and never came out of the place, and the thick black oak door did an insufficient job at muffling the screams of those being experimented on inside the lab. Malak's own aura tended to leak out as well, bathing passerby in an icy cold fear that seemed to linger as well.

Malak leaned in close to the girl, gazing into her terror-filled eyes and stroked her cheek with a bloody glove, a wicked smile spreading across his face, his teeth showing a fang or two. "Goodbye dear, I had so much fun with you, it is so hard to say goodbye" Malak's harmless little smile changed to a sneer and he cackled before violently kicking a small lever below the operation table, causing it to suddenly tilt back. Malak watched the woman's eyes widen as her body slid down the table and fell into the shadows of the pit. As soon as the 'thump' could be heard, the shadows that had been moving around in the pit surged inward, and Malak turned to the exit of the laboratory, removing the blood-spattered apron and throwing it onto a nearby table, straightening his robes before he walked to the exit. Malak turned towards Fenrir briefly before walking to the door. â??Go ahead and join your brethren in the feast, I have no more need for that oneâ?. Malak walked back into the hallway that lead outside, approaching the door and examining it before reaching for the handle.

Malak gripped the handle of the large black oak door and pulled, opening it a tiny bit, before peering through the crack in the door. Outside was Aneolis, the Siren. The Siren's physical beauty was almost overwhelming, and her nature and cruelty were equally admirable, she was not to be underestimated at all. Malak swung the door open shortly afterward, presenting himself fully to the Siren and correcting his robe's edges. "Good Evening, Madame Aneolis, you look lovely as always..." The good evening was a formality, truthfully, Malak had no idea what time it really was, and the eclipse did often make telling the time difficult. Malak's eyes scanned over the female briefly before he closed them and swung the door open all the way, stepping out of the doorway almost cautiously. "It is good to see you again, I was just feeding my pups" Malak lifted a hand to his chin, the experiment fresh in his mind.

"Sooo... Has our benevolent king summoned us?" Malak began, stepping out the doorway, a little curious as to the reason for the Sirenâ??s visit â??Or is this social visit?â? Malak cocked his head to the side curiously, he rarely ever got company, and his place was an absolute mess too. Malak made a mental note to talk to the Siren later about the healing potion thing. Malak's luminous green eyes remained fixed on her silvers. The male was not wearing his hood, he felt no reason to, and in the low light outside his lab his eyes literally glowed in the dim light, reflecting his great magic power, and his corruption. Malak offered the female a polite smile, awaiting her answer.
 
His presence was drawing closer to the entrance to his lab....the feeling sending visible shivers of delight through the siren's entire body. She watches excitedly as his footsteps near the door, silver eyes widening as the knob to his lab slowly twists. When the door is cracked just enough so the warlock can gaze upon her magnificent form, she holds her left hand upon her left hip, a small smile playing across her features as he looks upon her unexpected presence. Her eyes wander his body when his appearance is fully revealed to her and he steps out to greet her with such formality. She couldn't help but giggle girlishly. "And a good evening to you as well...Lord Malak..." she shakes her head a little at his comment about feeding his pups. Just like her, he was at it again with the experiments. She just loved how much they had in common.

"Oooh~ I wish it was a social visit..." she says as she gazes up into his magnificent eyes. God...they were so beautiful. She moved closer to warlock, snaking her slender arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his silken black hair upon her bare skin. She nearly shivered at the feeling of being so close to such a powerful being. Her fingers gently twirled in his beautiful hair as she gazed up at them to speak. "Perhaps that can be arranged a little later..." she said returning the grin, obviously not afraid to show her never ending infatuation toward the other.. "Anyhow...yes...I have indeed received word that our...generous King requests our presence. I suppose maybe there is a mission at hand... well I hope so anyhow...I'm growing quite bored of sitting around here as of late." she says, closing what little gap there was between their bodies. Her chest presses into his, her ample breasts pushing up in her low cut top almost to the point where it seemed they would literally pop out. She found herself thinking back to how her experiment felt pressed up against her... The feeling was similar, lacking in affection. She craved more from the both of them however, and in order to get his double's body completely correct she would have to have the pleasure of exploring the warlock's delicious body. But if that ever happened...she would have no reason to perfect her new dollie...then again...he could be for when the real warlock wasn't around. She smiled a little to herself, imagining how the real Malak would feel pressed under her naked form....as the soft pads of her fingers pressed gently into the back of his bare neck.

"In any case if it is a mission. I suppose we should get going...don't want to upset our King..." she says, silver eyes trailing up to his lovely green ones before she disentangles herself from him. With a snap of her fingers, her doll removes himself from the wall he was currently standing idly by, to scoop the siren off her feet. He was dressed in dark loose clothing now as his attire before didn't quite fit the aura of where she would be traveling to. She drapes one arm around the doll's neck and lounges back a bit, as if the human toy was a chair of sorts. This wasn't the time to dwell on her fantasies for the warlock before her. Oh...but she damn sure wanted to. Being so close to him, made her want to attempt to persuade him to drift back inside of his quarters and perhaps...indulge in a bit of intimacy. Oh...would she love nothing more than to have that fantasy fulfilled.

She was now at eye level with the warlock, as her servant held her in his arms. Aneolis...liked the sudden shift in height very much. She usually enjoyed being shorted than her male targets but...at this height it was easier for her to get lost in those gorgeous glowing orbs Malak had. There was a sort of dreamy look upon her face as she awaited his response to her news of their visit to the king.
 
  • His task was a simple one - to retrieve the General who resided in the room at the end of the hallway.

    Doing so seemed harmless enough, but when it came to retrieving General's, many of the servants were hesitant, some even scared to the point of running and hiding. Malak was an eccentric one, and his labs were filled with horrors that most never recovered from seeing, if they returned from seeing them at all. Anoleis was. . . .a tad bit off in ways that just made most of them uncomfortable, and creeped the rest out. Gandrian was, luckily, easily pulled directly to the King. Most weren't afraid of him, but were wary in his presence. He was a traitor who killed the former ruler of the palace, and had a very disarming child-like innocence that simply did not sit well with any of them. And then? There was the woman that he had come to retrieve, the assassin Nekar Xofanvo.

    The biggest problem here was moving from one end of the hall to the other. Many of the assassins who worked for the king resided here. Usually, there weren't that many who were here at a time, as they were often out on assignment. Normally, when they were here, they were sleeping or awaiting word of their next assignment. They were an. . .interesting bunch to say the least. Many had grown used to stalking their prey and pouncing upon them at the drop of a pin. Usually, they had a bit of fun tormenting the servants with a little "harmless" fun, usually in the realm of popping up and scaring the life out of them. Knowing that, it was easy to see how coming here made anyone nervous. Nekar herself rarely did such things to servants, usually soldiers who got out of hand or assassin's who took things a little too far. Unless she was caught after a mission, while she was restraining herself and keeping her blood lust in check, she was rather. . . .normal. Oddly so. That, in and of itself, was just as scary as Gandrian's innocence.

    Moving through the darkened corridor of the hall, the young man slowly tensed. This was, to say the very least, a very scary corridor. It was dark, and cool, and populated by mostly assassins. The very thought of being surrounded by them was unnerving. After moving down most of the hall, the servant boy pulled his jacket around him tightly. Bundling up was a necessity when it came to approaching the lair of the assassin. She was a practitioner of ice type magic, and often kept her room at a low temperature simply because she found it more comfortable. It was cold enough that the breath of anyone could be seen even yards away from the door. That was the reason that most of the rooms around hers were vacant. Finally, standing before the door of the room, the servant boy tightly grasped the front of his jacket, reluctantly moving his hand away from his chest to knock on the door.

    "Enter," the woman's voice called from within, just before his hand touched the door.

    Rather than knocking, the boy's gloved hand grasped the knob of the door and slowly turned it, revealing to him a small, neatly kept room. There wasn't very much inside, a bed, a small table, a wardrobe where her clothing was kept, a pair of armor stands, and a small rack with weapons on it. Almost everything within the room was covered with a thin layer of frost, something that would melt upon making contact with a person's flesh. The room was very cold, and very uncomfortable, which was why most people hated approaching it in the first place. Nekar was found sitting on the floor in the middle of her room upon an intricately woven carpet - which must have come from the South - meditating, centering her mind and herself as she had to regularly. It was just a part of how she kept herself from getting out of control.

    "A summons from King Vayne m'lady," the boy said nervously.

    A summons from the king, such things weren't rare for her. The work of an assassin was not just killing people, but intelligence gathering and other such things that many excelled at doing anyway. Naturally, it wasn't rare that the king needed information, and wanted the best of the best to get it for him. Also, naturally, she was curious as to why she was now being called for. Was this just another assignment, or was something bigger finally happening again. That much remained to be seen - what she knew was that she was being summoned, and that her king wished to speak with her. That much was all she needed to know. "I see. Is that all," she asked, her breath rising into the air as she spoke. The temperature in the room was cold, but it was much warmer than her internal temperature.

    While most people would have been shivering within the confines of the walls of the room, Nekar was not bothered in the least by her surroundings. In fact, the lower temperatures helped keep her blood from boiling, which in turn, helped her become and remain calm.

    "Yes m'lady, the king on requires your presence now," the boy said.

    "You may go," she replied, granting the boy his freedom from this place. The Drow woman slowly rose to her feet, not making a sound as she stood or even when she grabbed the white cloth hanging on the back of the chair beside her and wrapped it around her neck. There was no need to grab anything more, this was just a meeting. No, perhaps more. After spending so much time idle here in Elzier, Nekar was almost certain that the king was finally ready to make his next move. At least, she hoped so. Sitting and waiting had gone from being a welcome change from the usual to a cruel and unusual torture. The large halls, the gaudy decorations. . .there was no doubt that this was the seat of power of the world. This was what her people had been so long desiring for themselves, a place which they could say rivaled any in the world. Seeing the world and how it was now? Nekar honestly thought that she liked her homeland more. She wondered if any of the other Drow would agree with her.

    Rather than wasting time waiting for the other generals, or even trying to find them, Nekar headed straight for the throne room, where she knew she would find the King of Darkness. It wasn't surprising to find Gandrian there as well, as the traitorous knight was always the first one here when they were called for. Nekar glanced for just a moment in his direction, then dropped to her knee before the king. She didn't speak, she rarely ever did speak to anyone unless first acknowledged. It was just a part of her personality to remain in the background and to watch from afar until it was time to take action.[/list:u]
 
  • There was no way that this person was a noble. There was nothing "noble" about him. Of course, the only image that she had in her mind of nobles was the image of the King of Darkness, ruthless with a purpose, foreboding, powerful, and handsome. This man had absolutely none of those qualities. And here she was, stuck with him going only where the Gods would guide them. Some Kingdom, perhaps a smaller territory, but somewhere she definitely hadn't heard of.

    "Ah. . .no, ah don' think I'll be takin' you up on yer offer," she said, flatly and plainly refusing Nao's drunken advance. Instinctively, she took a step back and the man drew in closer to her, unsure of what he was going to do and uneasy considering the possibilities in her mind. Very rarely had she ever been in close quarters with another human, and every rarely was it ever a good thing when she was. The smell of liquor filled her nose as she spoke, his words slow, slurred, and uncertain. The explanations that she was given, or rather lack thereof, made very little sense. Then again, why was she searching for one person she barely knew so hard? It wasn't like meeting the young lady and her disturbing body guard was going to change anything. But being stuck here on this ship with the drunken. . .whatever he was, and the incompetent servant? That was an entirely different matter. "I-If ya say so. . ." she said nervously, wanting now to escape the grasp of the man.

    "R-Right, ah gu - " Before she could even finish uttering her statement, Nao was on her, shouting and bouncing around. But then, he did something strange. He swatted at. . .spirits? Though she could not see him, she could sense them there. And she could sense them leaving as he shooed them away. Perhaps there was more to the nobleman than she thought? Nao quickly showed her just how wrong she was when he opened his mouth once more, pulling her alongside him back into the ship. What in tha hell did'ah get mahself into here, she thought. At least she wasn't alone in terms of those thoughts, even the squire was growing short of patience and looked to be ready to murder the man.

    Dinner. It sounded normal enough. Eat some food. Get some sleep. . .do this all over again the next day? The thought made her groan inwardly. They would be landing eventually, and she figured she would just slip away once they got where they were going. Then, her problems would be gone. Or so they would be in theory. I could use a drink, she thought. "M-Might as well. . ."[/list:u]
 
Valen was brooding over the events that had occurred, not really paying attention to Altima and Tsu's anger towards the elves. Really, Valen was not angry at the elves for not jumping to their aid, he truly felt sorry for them, stuck in their own little world, trying to hide from the problem that was looming just overhead and refusing to have any hope for those who might be their only hope. Valen's eyes were cast down, his mind wandering and thinking, this presented yet another obstacle in the group's efforts to build support against the dark king, so many states outside Elzier proclaimed themselves neutral, the elves, the dragons, even Alusair was stubborn in it's refusal to side with anybody. This would be difficult, but Valen realized that they could not give up hope. Valen seemed a little more pale than he was earlier, it was barely noticeable, the skin around his eyes had darkened, it looked like he had not slept in some time.

Arioch's statement brought Valen out of his daze, the knight looked over to the former elven general and nodded. The story she told them was indeed strange, Valen had never heard of such a thing happening, especially in the elven forests, powerful magic must be at work within.

"Very well... this... occurrence might be the sign of something important." Valen glanced at Altima, his golden eyes focused again with resolve, his fingers tightened in their grip of the shaft of his spear. Valen took a step towards Arioch. "Alright, show us the way to the seer's temple. Even if what is occurring isn't important, there are still people in need, we have to help them, it is our duty as servants of light." It didn't matter if the elves were unwilling to help them in conflict, if innocents were being harmed Valen would at least attempt to help them. Valen gathered himself and straightened,

Valen noticed Ari become uncomfortable, he offered the elven woman his most reassuring smile, he would offer a hand to her shoulder if he knew she would be okay with that. He had become very good at calming and soothing others in his years as the eldest of the four. "Relax, we will help. Lead the way, we shall see what is happening for ourselves when we get there."
 
Brand was glad that no one seemed to notice his destruction of public property. At least, no one had spoken up about it. Gladly he stepped further away from the statue and closer towards the others, mind half on the situation at hand, and half on lemon drops.

Heâ??d kill for lemon drops right now.

Inconspicuously, he tried to reach into his front pocket to see if he had any left from the last town they had been in. His hand, sadly, came out empty. â??Darnsâ?¦ hmâ?¦ maybe the packsâ?¦?â?? the blonde pondered, tearing his gaze away from Valen placing his hand on Ariochâ??s shoulder. He swung his side back to the front and began to rummage through it, shoving away the supplies he had for himself.

Two flasks of water, an extra pair of breeches and shirt, a book, a toy yellow duck, a yarn ball, a ball of wrapped rice, some dried fruits, and a Dragon Scale pedant that he could have sworn Ranis gave him.

So she was asleep when he came into her room. Technicalities~

But after running through his inventory, he realized a crucial thing.

â??Iâ??m out of lemon drops.â? Band stated like the world had ended. He sighed slightly and hung his head as if something in the world was wrong. The Youngest Knight dragged his feet along the leaf covered ground, slowly inching away from the entrance of the maze that would lead to the temple. Without lemon drops, he would be useless to them. . .

â??I mean. Didnâ??t you learn the way there when you guarded this quadrant, Vali?â?
 
â??Fantastic! Lead the way, Adrian!â? Nao happily cheered.

Johnathan just sighed at yet another name change and motioned for them to follow him. He moved to walk down the stairs to the right towards the lower deck, with the scrapes of the young masterâ??s feet following him.

As Nao walked further down the decks â?? half assuming that Itsuki would be following â?? he took in note of the shadows that seemed to envelop them. He narrowed his eyes at the blank wall, nearly glaring at the blackness that inked across the solid wood. â??Sire, you should be nicer to him.â? the squire spoke up, as if knowing what he was thinking. The blonde male didnâ??t respond at first, only allowing his eyes to roll.

And roll.

And roll.

And roll.

Then he got dizzy, so he decided to stop rolling his eyes. â??Heâ??ll be fine. Wonâ??t he? See? He nodded!â? Nao confirmed, despite â??heâ?? not responding in any way or form.

Once they reached the mess hall, he flung himself at one of the chairs and landed half on the table and half on the wooden chair. â??Food time!â? the food had already been laid out, dished up for three people to dine. Nothing amazing, just simple soup and meats for their dinner on a ship.

Nao reached for the whiskey first and took a healthy gulp before he readily stuffed anything his hand touched into his mouth. The second gulp of booze came when he accidentally ate something that was probably not edible but will be digested later anyways. â??Nothing hits the spot like a little sip before dinner~.â? he happily declared, waiting until Itsuki sat before he offered her a bottle of her own. It wasnâ??t polite to drink without offering some to his guest, after all.
 
Tsu's black orbs trailed over to the young half elf as he seemed to be pondering through his pockets. He wondered what he was looking for. With a shrug of the demon's shoulders he then turned his attention back to Valen. He tried hard to focus on what the other was saying but, everything seemed to just slow down as the rustling of the youngest elf captured his ears. It was imperative that he understand what their next movements were to be but....â??Iâ??m out of lemon drops.â? dark eyes softened, shifting to hazel under the protection of his hood. A small smile of sorts curved the naturalists lips as everything was becoming clearer to him. Master...what is wrong...are you daydreaming again? Blinking twice the male gazed down at the large beast and grinned a little. Erm...n-no. Heh, you know I tend to stare off into space sometimes... Slipping his hands into the pockets of his cloak and begins to search through the large pockets. What are you looking for master? Firu asked, thinking back to if he'd placed the wallet back as planned. It always made as such a fun chewing toy.

Tsu didn't answer as his fingers fiddled with the objects present in his pocket. Suddenly he begins to wonder why the hell he always had so much shit in them. However, there was no time to stop and ponder the thought, he had to find-- "A-ha..." he murmurs softly to himself as the tips of his fingers grazes against a small pouch. His left hand wraps around the pouch's string and he begins to pull it from his pocket. Bringing his hand out from his other pocket he opens the pouch. Inside were pieces of candy. Not just any candy however... they were lemon drops. The candy that Brand seemed to be addicted to. Tsu wasn't a fan of the candy at all...he honestly hated lemons, and anything flavored with it. However, the time spent hanging out with the young half-elf in their younger days always had him carrying the stuff on him just in case the other would run out. The devastating look upon his face when he'd polished off his candy, always made the demon feel....sad.

Now that he had found what he was looking for...how could he give it to the youngest knight without seeming awkward about it? He watched as the other seemed to inch away from the entrance, that saddened looked plastered all over his angelic features... Walking over to the young knight he placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Please don't make that face..." he says as he hold his other hand up, the pouch full of the blonde's favorite candy sitting comfortably in his palm.
 
  • Arioch let go of the breath that she had been holding when Valen stated they would lend their aid. It definitely lifted a weight off of her shoulders, and it saved them all from another, nasty bout of tongue lashings courtesy of the green-haired High Elf. For a moment, she seemed touched. Pleased even. A smile even started to creep up onto her face. She was quick, however, to hide her relief by clearing her throat and turning on her heels. They would have to hurry and get to the shrine and fast, as this problem was much bigger than it may have appeared to be to any of the others. The Seer was one of the most important people in the kingdom, a spiritual leader who guided many when they were lost, who taught people how to connect with the Great Spirits of the world around them. Though she hadn't be taught by the Seer herself, Arioch had been granted the pleasure of meeting her, and of learning from her.

    "If you would follow me, I'll take us there," she said, leading the group down one of the many paths to the shrine. As the group approached, they would find a most curious sight laid out before them. As the general said, they were all sorts of strange happenings around the tree that served as the support for the grand shrine. There were many people all around, frozen in what looked like glass. The trees seemed to stretch, bend, and contort unnaturally, even the sky was wrong. The sky above appeared to be a light purple in color. "By the Gods. . .what in the hell is this," she muttered, stopping beside one of the frozen Elves. Her eyes quickly examined everything around her, her mind racing in an attempt to rationalize what she saw.

    "The stories don't prepare you for the reality of the matter. . .this is so much worse than I feared. . ." she said, placing each of her hands on the hilts of the swords she wore at her hips. Arioch was feeling edgy now, and her weapons served as her only comfort. Not that slashing her way through anything now would help, but this was just. . .too much. This was utterly ridiculous and completely nonsensical. "This place. . .is considered Holy Ground by my people. Normally, anyone not of pure Elven blood isn't allowed to step foot here. This land is guarded by statures infused with nature spirits. . .I know not if they will activate because you all are here, or if whatever is causing this will stop them but. . .I feel it is only fair to mention this before we venture any closer to the shrine. Be on your guard."[/list:u]
 
"Perhaps it can..." Malak teased, his grin widening slightly. His eyes scanned over the Siren's face, oh her charms were incredible, even able to spawn a flicker of lust in even Malak's black soul. Malak also wasn't used to receiving such attention from a woman, especially one of the Siren's... caliber. Usually women were too busy doing silly things like trying to flee from him or screaming to bother with such trivial things like flirting with him. Malak quite liked this behavior, he loved the attention. When the female touched him Malak did not move, he remained stable and mostly stoic, though his hand looped around her waist in response to her tangling herself with him. The smile remained ever present on his face as she explored his form with her hands and played with his hair.

"Yes... I am running out of subjects as well. I do hope our king has something not quite as... monotonous as simply sitting around" The king had come to him weeks ago with a special request, one Malak had been painstakingly working on for the entire time in between. Aneolis would find Malak's skin was somewhat cold to the touch, his pulse only barely there. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, not too terribly like touching a corpse, he still had life in him and something even more interesting, his very being buzzed with a dark energy, giving him a much different... feel than any mortal would.

"Very well" He said. "I agree, it would be best to go to the king... he is not well known for his patience when it comes to his subordinates." Malak briefly turned away from the Siren to close the door, whispering a couple words to it, earning a creak in return. It was less likely that the warlock was locking the door than he was cursing it to punish any poor curious fool dumb enough to try to open it. Malak turned back to her when he was done with his business.

When the siren moved away from him Malak grinned, watching as her puppet approached her and she climbed leisurely into it's arms. Malak grinned for a moment, turning away from her long enough to lift his arms and bring his hood over his head. Malak didn't like the servants looking at him, so he walked around even in the castle with his hood up. The shadow of his hood covered all but his mouth and chin, though the green blaze could still be seen through the shadows inside the hood. "Perhaps after, we can speak again, I do have some things I would very much like discussing with you..." Malak leaned in close, whispering into her ear as he walked by her. He did have a couple things he wanted to ask of her realistically, about the healing potion.

Along the way Malak did not speak to the Siren, though he mulled things over and left her to the throne room. When he finally reached the double doors, he waved his hands, and pushed by an unseen force, the doors swung open. Malak entered the throne room, noticing already that Nekar and the young elf knight that Vayne had taken under his wing were already both there... was he late? Malak really didn't care, he still smirked and kept his eyes focused on the great king of darkness.

"Your majesty." Malak greeted Vayne, giving the dark king a small bow, a noble's bow, a sign og great respect coming from one such as Malak. Malak's smile remained eerily still even though it was clear he did not like bowing even the slightest to another man. Vayne deserved at least that much respect from him. "I am terribly sorry we were late, I was caught up in my experiments, lady Aneolis had to retrieve me personally." Lord Malak clasped his hands behind the small of his back, a resting pose while he awaited further instruction from the king.
 
Altima just huffed and kept quiet about all the irritated emotions flowing around in turgid, roiling ways through her mind and body. She wasn't afraid of a place like this, if the spirits animated the statues and attacked them so what. She'd just detonate them and turn them into shrapnel and feel better about herself in the end. When Ari spoke up though about things being worse than she imagined, Altima looked up for a moment and perked a brow, wondering for a moments just why the sky was purple overhead. That would never be a really good sign of things to come but oh well. "Come on you lazy idiots, get moving." she said and shoved past the guys to follow Arioch through into the so-called "sacred" area.

Thinking it was just stupid to be worried and even more foolish to be unprepared, fire would begin to seethe out of her hands and coiled around her arms like brilliant serpents, waiting for the chance to destroy something. "I say bring it on if these spirits think they can use statues to hurt us." She said with a wicked grin. "I do so enjoy making shrapnel out of inanimate objects." She purred almost lustfully at the thought of blowing something up that wouldn't bleed or scream in agony. The flames coiled around her arms responded in the same way by seeming to burn hotter and brighter than they started off being. "About how far is it to where this disruption's source Arioch?" she asked their "guide" politely enough.

Inside, she was just wanting to get this done and over with since it felt like they'd wasted so much time getting here to start with. Only to have their meeting with the king fall through because the old bastard wanted to be lazy and rely on the hopes that they'd simply get overlooked for a little while longer. "Arioch, are they always like that though?" she asked, referring to the soldiers and royalty.
 
  • "I can't say for sure. We'll have to investigate the area. It would probably be best to check the shrine, to see if the Seer and her aides are. . .frozen as well. If they're safe, they might be able to give us some hint as to what happened here, and how it happened," Arioch said. Her eyes turned up to the sky once more. It was the oddest thing, the sky was a light shade of lavender above, but just a bit further behind them, she could see where it was blue. She could see, below, where the blades of grass had been frozen in time, and where other blades hadn't yet been affected. The trees were odd colors, bending in odd yet beautiful ways. This was certainly cause for concern.

    "They? You mean my people? Unfortunately so. I am truly sorry that things didn't work out well in your meeting with the his Highness. It isn't just up to him though. There are the elders to consider as well. He could order your support, but unless the elders approve of it, the King couldn't provide the help we sought. I can not say for sure, but if the King did want to provide aid, unless he could gain their support, his promise would have been a hollow one," Arioch said, providing the knights with a bit more perspective on the matter. As far as Elves went, Arioch was an odd one. Her way of thinking, speaking, and acting was nowhere near what a person would have thought upon encountering and Elf. It had certainly caught the knight's off guard when they first ran into each other.

    Arioch froze suddenly. She could feel it. . .they were starting to stir. Her hands instinctively went to her weapons, and her eyes instantly moved to the statues all around them. "Here they come," she shouted. Even if the others couldn't feel them, Arioch could. The spirits were gathering, and the statues were starting to stir. The nearest one to her, several yards to the right, slowly stood up right. The statues were made of natural materials, carved from earth itself, which meant that wind would be strong against it, and that it would be strong against electricity. Earth would clash with earth and likely cancel itself out, while anything else would hardly affect the statues. In this battle, Valen would be their best bet. Arioch would be managing defense.

    "Stay close and I will do my best to shield us all," she called to the others behind her.[/list:u]
 
Despite the fact that Altima was about to charge forward and get a move on, Brand felt like he shouldn’t be going anywhere. Or rather, he had no will to do such a thing. The world was a bleak and dark place for him now.

But like an angel that parted the heavens and came down with shining rays of light, it seemed that Tsu’Ro had the perfect gift for him. The Naturalist held out little golden bits of candy, each of which seemed to glitter in his eyes. Brand gave his friend a vibrant and almost glistening look. It was the look that he had used to give the other male when he was younger. Bright, amber eyes that seemed to glow under both sun and eclipse light, looking at the brunette like the other male was his god and savior.

Only difference from now and back then seemed to be the height difference.

He happily cheered an undistinguishable sound, scooped up the golden candy and transferred it into his special pouch he had ‘borrowed’ from Ranis. Immediately after plopping one into his mouth, he gave his friend an enclosing hug. Awkward arms wrapped around the other’s frame and his body nearly collapsed against Tsu’Ro’s. After a soft nuzzle of his face against the other’s neck, feeling the vine there tickle his face and nearly take out his eye, he leapt back and happily moved to follow the others –

Only to jump back and yelped at the large statues. Large, moving statues.

“They’re moving!” Brand stated the obvious. One of the earthen statues with an axe made a rather swift move and lashed downwards toward the spot that the Lightning Knight was standing. It was much faster than it should have been, considering its size. The youngest gave a yelp and barely jumped out of the way, only to have his pouch’s strands to be slashed at by the razor leaves that littered the earthen creature’s form and blade.

He gave a short cry of surprise and quickly stepped to retrieve the pouch, only to take one too many steps to the left. The dense area was forest-like, so he couldn’t have noticed the bedded area before him. For anyone watching, it wasn’t a surprise for what occurred next, but like a train wreck, one just couldn’t help but watch the youngest knight in slow motion.

Brand reached out to catch the pouch of lemon drops, took a wrong step, and the entire ground gave out on him. The leaves and twigs that covered the area crackled and fell, opening up the area to view as part ledge and part hole. The drop that swallowed Brand was so fast, it was like he was there one moment, and gone the next.

Besides the sound of the earth rustling with the weight of Brand falling down the hole into wherever it led, it might not have been a surprise to hear a confused “Oops!?” coming from the fallen one. For sure, the sparks of light and lightning that slowly faded indicated that Brand was still spiraling away from the group.
 
A small smile tugs at the corners of the naturalists lips as the other happily accepts his offering. His sad face disappeared rather quickly at the sight of his favorite candy, and Tsu was grateful to the young knight, for welding it in his mind that he loved his lemon drops.

The demon didn't quite know how to accept the sudden hug and opted for just standing there motionless. However, when Brand began trying to nuzzle him, dangerously close to his neck, he nudged the other back just in time not to get nipped by the thorny vine around his neck. The last thing he wanted was to solve one problem and end up with another. However, what he longed for was quickly smashed to bits at the sound of the elf's warning. He hadn't noticed the shifts in the statues movements until just then. It was close, but he just as Brand, jumped out of the way of a very close attack.

It seemed....the statues were enchanted by something...something powerful. He wondered what the source of that power was.

Whatever plans they had however, were crushed like his wishes when Brand did the unthinkable. Everything was happening so fast, but from what the demon understood the young knight dropped his candy and was steadily going after it and then--poof. The kid dropped down some invisible hole and was now getting an up close and personal lesson of how gravity worked. Master wa-- was all Firu could get out before the naturalist darted off towards the hole that swallowed up Brand. His mind was only focused on one thing....and that was the survival of Brand.

The ground began to shift beneath the naturalist. Each step he took towards the hole the slithering of snakes beneath his feet began to break out of their confines...

Tsu didn't think twice before he jumped off the ledge, following Brand into the dark abyss. Through the dirt and grass shot up those snakes once Tsu'Ro's feet left the ground. Once he disappeared into the dark spiraling downwards, so did the snakes. Firu skidded to a hault at the edge of the hole, bright golden eyes watching as its master was swallowed up as well. Tsu dropped his arms by his sides allowing his body weight to fully be shifted downwards. The fading sparks, weren't so faded after a few seconds of falling and the demon could feel the remnants of the youngest knight's body heat reaching out to him as they spiraled down together.

The naturalist wrapped his arms around Brand as the many roots and vines he'd collected on the way slithered onto his ankles and up. They locked around his legs and didn't stop until they wrapped tightly around his waist. Shining black eyes glistened brightly as he stared down into the darkness, a sudden light appearing at the end of their tunnel. The end.

Tsu whispered several words in his ancient language, the roots and vines around his body constricting tightly. Mere seconds before they hit the dirt floor below them, skull first, his safety line came into play. Their fall was stopped almost instantly. Tsu was glad the roots they were hanging from weren't the slightest bit elastic.

The naturalist breathed deeply, letting out the breath he'd been holding ever since he started down the tunnel. God knows how long that was, and the sudden realization that he hadn't been breathing kicked in. The safety line that was wrapped around the demon unraveled rather quickly, his powers in disarray. Both he and Brand fell onto the dirt and grass below. Thank goodness they were only a foot or two above the ground. It took the demon a minute or so to gather the oxygen he'd been lacking. Soft pants continued to escape his parted lips however, as he began working on putting together the puzzled pieces of his scattered mind.

"Brand...are you alright?"

Tsu questions quickly, the events that had just occurred becoming realer than he was willing or rather able to believe several seconds ago.
 
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