FEF: Verdant Wings (lC)

[Aurorix]

"Grrr...." Lyle grumbled looking at Roland's axe. His blood boiled with rage. How could Roland loose? He tightened his grip on his weapon, ready to just charge forward to avenge his commander. However, there was a moment of clarity from him. For a brief moment he could almost feel a presence urging him to take a better look at their situation. Heading this, he noticed his allies were already on their way out and the others were badly injured. More importantly, his sister was in danger. Even the rider himself has taken quite the number of blows, including Stella. It's obvious if they stay and fight it'd only lead to their deaths. No matter how much he may want to stay and fight, it'd hold no meaning if he lie in a pool of his own blood. So, instead he rode forward behind Lyla, picked her up from the back of her shirt collar and plopped her onto Stella's back behind him.

 

"Lord Coel, as much as I'd love to tear into that heathen, I think we should take their offer and flee. There is no sense dying a pointless death... and... if Sir Roland couldn't beat her I don't think any of us can." The boy spoke to the saint before heading back to regroup with everyone else near the cover of trees.

 

Move to I6, Rescuse Lyla, Canto back to I3

[Twinwolf]

Attack Initiate 7

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Spoiler

this combat is prettymuch irrelevant so long as Renee hits and given she has a % to hit... l'mma just award here the hit and the 2 exp for the combat to the group cause like...screw being stingy over it and trying to seeif l roll a 100 to screw ya'll out of 2 exp that's stupid. Regardless the damage to Renee doesn't matter nor can Renee remotely kill.

Just as a heads up for why l'm not running this combat.

With a final stroke from Renee,it quite clear this battlewill go nowhere. The figure makes it clear by their stride that they do not aim to kill them unless they remain in their way. Coel gives one last hardlook towards Castle Calmary. lt was a home he had built. So was Padstow. But, it seemed for now that this land away from the worldwas to fall. He clutched his staff close, the simple staff with only a small crux at the end. The Symbol of the Hierophant. 

 

"Come, we must make haste. There's somewhere l know we can go. lt will be a long trek but l'm sure we can make it."

 

Chapter Complete. Victory... well at the least you still have your lives. Perhaps a victory in and of itself.

 

Post-Prologue: The Meloncholy Night.

After a time, the group is sure they have not been followed by any of shades that had attaked them prior. The remaining ones must have been ordered against such actions. Whoever that figure was, they were true to their word and did let them go. lt didn't relieve the sting of loss much however. Their home had fallen, it perhapswasn't gone but it now lay in the hands of some unknown forceclearly led by that figure. To what purpose, to what end? lt wasn't really truly known. The attack was sudden, brutal. lt seemingly had no meaning. lf something greater were at playit be unbeknowst to the men and woman gathered here. The night grew old now, they had been moving for quite some time. Coel stoppedfor a moment to catch his breath.

He wondered what became of those that had run before, those that had evacuted prior to the assualt. He had hoped that Brinda knew of the safe place he did, that she had remembered what he had told her. She probably did knowing that one. Her mind was a keen one and she never forgot something no matter how small whispered within her presence. He knew that his people would be safe in her hands, but he couldn't help but worry. He had to put it aside for now though, he had his own flock to worry about. Those that were alongside him now. And, himself as well. He felt a burning in his lungs form all this hurried movement. lt wasn't good for his old bones. He decided to speak up, rather than push forward. They were safe for now in the deep forests of the mountains around Padstow. "l..." he started to speak,before losing his train of thought for a moment. He doubted his prior thought for amoment, before regaining his composure. lt was a strange thing to see of Coel. Something that was certainly a slip in his typical character. Haunting almost, if not for what had transpired thi night already it would have hit all the harder. But, anyone would crack in these times. Though, leaders were supposed to be above this. Though they were human, they were more than human. Coel's humanity could be seen. What that meant to those gathered here...well hard to say.

 

 "l believe for now, we should make camp. We must rest. Take... some time. My old bones won't last me much longer this night l'm afraid." he said trying to keep a smile on his face. He moved off to the side of the path and slumped against an old and mighty oak. He waited for the rest to take suit and follow his lead.

[Sentient Bowtie]

Blake, at his master’s side the entire journey, is quiet. His thoughts are focused on asking the same questions everyone had already been asking themselves, so they weren’t of any use to him whatsoever. Nor were the... other ones. About what that creature had said to him.

 

He shoves them away, locks them in a very deep part of his mind, and focuses himself on helping Lord Coel against the tree, at which point he takes his own seat next to the old man.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Lyla wanted to complain as her brother picked her up and ran but at the same time how would she complain. They wouldn't last much longer if they had stayed. She sighed heavily, they were running away from another home all over again. But one thing made Lyla smile. 

"I saw her again big bro." Lyla told Lyle as they arrived. "You know, the blue lady. The one that helped us in our escape. She helped me in the fight." 

[Aurorix]

They seemed safe now, Lyle hadn't seen or heard anything out of the ordinary for a while. Then once Lord Coel slummed onto the tree he knew that it'd be best to just rest here for the night. He slowed down before stopping by a nearby tree. He dismounted, and began tying Stella's riens to a branch that was close to the ground. 

 

"This again?" Lyle sighed to his sister's last comment,  "That was probably just your imagination. I for one didn't see any blue woman now or back then. It's probably your mind playing tricks on you during." Though the boy did as well get strange feelings during both encounters. Could it really be... No, that must just be Lyla's influence. I mean, come on, a blue woman in the middle of a skirmish that no one else saw? It couldn't be real.

 

"Anyways, come on, someone needs to go get some firewood and you're gonna help me with that." Lyle said holding his hand up to his sister, offering to help her off the white steed.

[rokubiraijuu]

He had kept to himself the whole walk, silently tailing alongside the others, a look neither relieved nor apprehensive on his face. The night only seemed to grow longer and darker as they made their way through the forest and drew further away from the estate.

 

Then there was that presence, that unmistakable killing aura that had come onto the scene halfway through the skirmish. He regrets that he hadn't been able to get a good look in all the commotion; the weight of that lethal presence had both alarmed and entranced him. It's hard to shake his mind of it even now.

 

Eventually, Coel speaks, and Lenny watches him slump against a nearby tree. The heretofore apathy on his face suddenly changes, and he smiles, stretching his arms upwards and releasing a loud and carefree sigh.

 

"Fair enough old man, your call." 

 

With another huff of relaxation, he plops himself down against another trunk and stretches out his skinny legs to take some pressure off his feet.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"No, Lyle I saw her. I felt her. She guided my hand when I was attacking." She protested, even so taking Lyle's help to dismount. "Although I didn't see her brother this time, but I felt him at some point. The yellow man must have been protecting you instead."

[Aurorix]

"Heh, if you say so." Lyle said dismissing what she was saying. As of right now he can't completely deny feeling a presence but until he can get a better idea of what it was it's best not to come to any hasty conclusions. Right now there were more pressing matters to talk about,  "Now, lets discuss your performance during the skirmish," He said leading the search for some wood and tinder,  "You were far too reckless and you got yourself seriously hurt multiple times. You have to be more careful out there. What if I or Lenny wasn't there to help you?"

[Chevaleresse]

Morgan, looking more than a tad out of breath, picked a tree that was both near them and far away from the rest of the group that they could feel mildly comfortable while still remaining in sight. The night had been. . . interesting. All these shadowy figures, and actually practicing magic for once. But then, they were probably never going to see their home again. . . Hopefully the bugs she took care of would be okay. At least there would be no more lectures about centipedes in the house.

[Sentient Bowtie]

...Don't worry yourself about what that thing said. Not one person here has any idea, and they never will. You just have to keep it that way.

 

But gods, does it get tiring.

 

Momentarily distracted by his own thoughts, Blake's attention wanders from his lord - he seemed fine at the moment, anyway, and they had been together since leaving their home behind - and onto Morgan. Alone again? One would think the heart-stopping action of combat would have given them a bit more confidence to stand with the others.

 

Blake stands, voices a quiet "I will be back shortly" to Lord Coel, and makes his way over to Morgan, who he takes a seat next to.

"It wouldn't hurt to try and get a little closer to some of the others, you know."

 

"Both figuratively and literally."

[Chevaleresse]

Morgan jumped upon noticing Blake's approach, though relaxed slightly upon identifying that it was, in fact, Blake and not. . . whoever else Morgan thought it might be. It was difficult to tell what went on inside Morgan's head. Morgan didn't particularly feel like explaining their aversion to the rest of the group once again, so an excuse was found.

"I just wanted to check if Marcus and Hannibal were okay. And try and get some of the blood out of my cloak."

[Sentient Bowtie]

"Ah, I see. I hope the two of them are all right. Hannibal especially."

 

He ponders for a second.

 

"Hmm... Has the blood had enough time to dry yet? It's more difficult to remove from clothing when it's dry, but I would be able to help you in either case."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"If you and Lenny weren't there Gavan would have been. And if wasn't, then the blue lady and the yellow man would have!" She responded. "Besides I know you would have saved me. I trust you on that." Lyla sighed heavily. "Do you think... We'll have to fight those things again? If they show up again I'll fight again but... I really don't want to."

[Swordstar]

Gavan had been busy doing what he did best. Moving about unnoticed and scouting, both ahead and behind. Catching up with the group after one of his backward sweeps, he glanced around and then casually commented as he unstrung his bow,

 

"They really aren't following us, it seems. Guess little pawns like us aren't important enough to bother with in whatever its plans are. Can't say I'm complaining too much though."

 

He didn't see Lyla or her brother, so he gave a shrug and walked over to the other swordswoman of the group, figuring he better get to know some of the others he would be stuck with for the foreseeable future.

 

"I'm Gavan. What was your name again? Also, is that your sister over there? Looks like she made a new friend. Or he's bothering her, one of the two. Hard to tell sometimes, you know?"

[Chevaleresse]

"It hasn't really had time to dry at all. People were just trying to murder us." Morgan sounded. . . oddly less than upset about the whole ordeal. Not okay with it precisely, but not as alarmed as one might expect. 

[Sentient Bowtie]

”That is a good point,” he says, as if he wasn’t already able to tell that himself somehow.

 

”If you want my help with it, I’ll need your cloak, as you might have expected.” Blake holds out his hand for the garment.

[Twinwolf]

Renee had been making sure her wounds were all closed up as one of the others came over. “Hm? Oh, I’m Renee. A pleasure, circumstances aside.” She said politely. She glanced over to where Morgan was and seemed to consider for a moment. “Mmm... yeah, Morgan seems fine, oddly enough. I saw them talking to this guy earlier too. Usually they don’t really do well with people, so glad they can talk to someone other than me...”

[Aurorix]

"Well, they did allow us to escape. Plus, I didn't notice anyone following us. So, I don't think we'll be fighting those people for now at the very least. Though we are outside of Padstow, we'll probably have to be on the look out for ruffians and bandits and they won't be as kind as to offer us a means to escape like those creatures." Lyle could sense his sister's unease. He put his right hand on her head and crouched down to meet her on eye level. There was a smile stretched across his face.

 

"We'll be fine, it is as you say I am here to protect you. I just want you to be more careful next time, alright? If it makes you feel better I can help teach you to protect yourself like we did before. Would that make you happy?"

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"I'll be careful. There isn't a bandit alive that can take me down." She smiled, wrapped her arms around her brother hugging him tightly. After she let go she nodded. "Let's practice. I'd rather be in the kitchen than on the battlefield, but I am a perfectionist. If I've gotta do it, I'm going to do it right. Teach me all you have to teach big bro." 

[Chevaleresse]

The cloak came off and was summarily pushed into Blake's hands. Morgan reached into their pack and pulled out a familiar-looking pair of jars, breathing a slight sigh of release when neither seemed to be the worse for wear despite the state their bearer had been in previously. The cause for said bearer still being up and moving was revealed in what lay below the cloak; an old set of armor, one that had clearly seen better days, and probably wasn't exactly knight grade at this point (it was difficult to tell if it had ever been.) Still, it seemed that the current owner cared for it well; the rust spots were largely carefully painted over, though there were a couple odd patterns on the armor that didn't seem consistent with either battle damage or that caused by time. Said owner was currently making soft cooing noises at their two jars; the seven-legged spider seemed slightly agitated, still, and the other jar still seemed to be empty; evidently its resident was nearly as reclusive as Morgan was.

[Swordstar]

"Ha, fair enough. She does seem to be doing alright I suppose. Just wanted to make sure she was ok, you know? I had... have I guess? Little sisters, so it's instinct to look out for them. Or something. Dunno, haven't been home in ages, so no idea how they're doing or anything. Guess I'm not that great at looking out for them."

 

Despite the serious topic, Gavan's tone was still light and joking, seemingly not too bothered by the fact that he hadn't seen his family in years.

[Sentient Bowtie]

Blake accepts the garment and begins working on it; he withdraws a stoppered bottle of some powder from one of his pockets, opens it, and pours a generous amount onto the stain. He begins to rub the powder into the wet fabric, and it soaks up the blood quickly.

 

"This should remove most of the blood, but your cloak will be a little... unclean until the next time you wash it. Be sure to use cold water. Warm water will cause any remaining blood to set into the fabric and become much harder to remove."

 

He looks over Morgan's armor and a small smile crosses his face.

 

"A suit of armor? I would never have guessed you were wearing any. Very clever keeping it underneath this cloak. Our enemies will never be able to tell you possess it until their weapons fail to injure you - by which point, naturally, it is too late to rectify their mistake."

 

"...Oh, how rude of me. I realize I haven't even given you my name yet." He puts forth a hand, one relatively unsullied by the mysterious blood-removing powder. "I am Blake Oswell, retainer to Lord Coel. A pleasure to formally meet you, friend."

[Chevaleresse]

Morgan watched the process with a passing interest, nodding at the instruction. They weren't sure whether to put forth the real reason for the particular combination: that the armor had simply made Morgan more secure, and the cloak was already something Morgan wore about regularly; it was a good garment for hiding within, among other more practical purposes. When Blake offered a handshake, Morgan looked at the limb somewhat dubiously before taking it; perhaps not unexpectedly, the return handshake was rather limp-wristed.

"If I haven't mentioned it already, Morgan Vaughn. It's, um, good to meet you too."

[Sentient Bowtie]

"You might have, in passing. I must have missed it."

 

Still kneading the powder into Morgan's cloak, Blake continues:

 

"I couldn't help but notice there is someone else in our group who looks remarkably like you. I assume she is your sister."