P.S.S. "The Legend Of The Primal Keys"::Ch.1- A Bit Of Deception [Completed IC]

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Sinbad grabbed onto Boho quickly, it didn't even take him a second to register it was time to save his own hide. "Zoliver! Gideon! Grab a hold quickly! Boho will get us out of here!"

[K_H]

Ko'luki was so startled by the sudden Sea of Light that he uttered one hefty swearphrase, not needing any time to realize that he needed to act fast in order to save his own life.

"HOLY S***!"

Ko'luki then clung to Atton, scared out of his mind by the sudden turn of events.

Edited August 27, 2014 by K_H

[Aurorix]

"Zoliver! Gideon! Grab a hold quickly! Boho will get us out of here!"

After that yell from Sinbad, Zolivar got his bearings and quickly grabbed on.

[Ragnar]

After seeing and hearing that drake, Gideon knew this isn't the time for fear or to ask any stupid question, He puts his facemask on and grabs on to Boho.

[Chevaleresse]

"Suddenly, the dark, scary, mysterious hole in the wall seems inviting," Matrim quipped. The impression came from the apparent concern of a number of what he presumed were strong sorcerers of some variety. He hurried to follow the group through the tunnel.

[Snap Crackle Pop]

A smirk flickered on Octavia's face at Matrim's comment but said nothing as she continued through. Her expression darkening as she thought to herself. The night has turned from celebration and festivities to chaos and, well, whatever was going to kill them if they didn't make it out of the city in time.

[Chim]

Onyx was startled by the sudden appearance of a Drake and for the second time that night Trystane had to calm his horse down. It was rare for Onyx to behave like this and Trystane didn’t like it at all. Something very dangerous and strange was going on and he decided it would be safer to leave for now. He didn’t waste any time, grabbed Onyx by the reigns and held on to Atton.

[Sutoratosu]

In the Papal Alter

(You should honestly know who you are by know...)

Time was of the essence. that much was clear as the entire building began to shake and crumble beneath the feet of the men assembled their. Atton and Boho knew it was now or nothing. They cast their gazes over to the Diran Gate, clearly visible from this high up, intending to Light Walk all the way over to them... But things were not going to go as planned, for before the two of them could get into the process, a huge crack split down the middle of the Holy Citadel, breaking the floor of the Papal alter into two and sending Atton and all those clinging to him plummeting down below. But the Arch magistrate didn't let panic take him, quick as lightning, he cast his gaze to the Nix Gate at the northern part of the city, and a second later, He, Maximus, Trystane, and Ko'Luki all vanished into thin air. Boho and those clinging to him disappeared as well, albeit to a different destination...

Those Clinging to Atton...

(Super, Kenny, Chimchain)

The four men all fell in a heap at the ground a few meters outside the Nix gate, being strewn across the mountain road painfully. Atton got up slowly, messaging his neck and the back of his head as he managed to stand and look back at the city. The sea of light was growing bigger with every second. Luckily they were clear of it now.

"apologies about the landing..." he said. Though to be honest, this had been a much nicer landing than he had hoped for... when one light walked without gathering focus, it tended to be a bit of a rough trip...

Those Clinging to Boho...

(Sinbad's group)

The group appeared on the ground just outside the Diran gate, letting go of Boho the moment they were safe. the Holy Citadel collapsed far in the distance behind them. The ecentric, Afroed man glanced around at the new surroundings. The dusty mountain road wound down to the south, towards the Dirosi desert. a fiery glow blazed in the horizon, though from this distance, it was more of a speck really. further down the mountain path, four men could be seen walking. two carried large burlap sacks on the shoulders. one man seemed to be carrying someone on his back, and another seemed to be helping his drunk friend walk... Boho steped forward, turning and looking back at Sinbad and his group.

"I 'm gonna assume everyone is alright," he said. "Thead must have taken Stratos somewhere in the sand waste of the Diran... best get yourselves ready, because we have a long walk ahead of-" His attention was stolen by something behind the group.

"Who are you?" he suddenly demanded. standing behind the group was a stranger with long, blond hair. his eyes were a cold blue, his high cheek bones accentuating the sly smirk on his face. he wore an bright blue, collared vest made of what looked to be serpent scales with a simple cotton shirt underneath. his pants were loose and black. on his feet he sported an impressive pair of beige cuffed boots.

"Oh, me?" asked Lucian "My names not important." he pointed his finger up towards the sky

"Did any of you happen to see a drake fly overhead?" he asked. "I'm searching for a certain individual, you see...my new employer."

Murdoc and Snap

It wasn't long before the group came to the end of the hidden passage way. Crates and empty jugs and wine cask littered the small space... It was obviously some type of storage area. Muya maneuvered her way in front of Octavia.

"You wouldn't stay in this city past Day break" she said abruptly, obviously referring to the words she had said to the young woman not long ago. "Just like I said." She reached up and touched a protruding stone in the wall, pressing down on it. the moment her hand touched it, the segment of wall to her right began to crack, crumbling into rubble and revealing a stair way leading up into moonlight. Muya glided up the stair case like the spector she was, the others following behind her in silence. before long everyone reached the summit of the stairs and entered out into the night air. the Nix Gate loomed large infront of them, the door way to the Passage sitting right beside it. not far from where they were, there was a group of four men. Samiel recognized one of them immediately.

"Atton!" he called. the man turned his head and looked in the direction of the voice. he spotted Samiel's group and waved

"Well, Good to see a friendly face!" He called back "things have deteriorated quite a bit tonight!"

"We're in luck," Samiel then said, turning back to face the group. "We've run into a few allies."

[Supernovae]

Maximus pushed himself to his feet and began brushing the dirt off himself. "So, Atton was it? Now that we're out of the city I suppose you wouldn't mind answering a few questions." Maximus decided not to wait for an answer, "First off, where are we? Secondly, you wouldn't happen to know a man by the name of Rodriguez would you? I believe he can help, well if he escaped from the city. And thirdly, my spear." Maximus pulled out his drake lance and held it out so that Atton could easily see it, "The Steele-Splinter. It's been in my family for generations. It ... it spoke to me. When Stratos was under attack, it told me to save him."

[Sutoratosu]

At the Nix Gate...

"I don't anything about Drake Lances," Said Atton. "Ask Stratos or a scholar about it. as for your other questions, We are just outside the Nix Gates. these are the northern gates of the city, the passage that the Nix Guard takes to reach the mega fortress of Castle Nix far to the north and west of here. and no, I do not know any man by the name of Rodriguez... and even if I did, I don't suspect many people besides us escaped tonight..." as if just on cue to prove him wrong, he heard something nearby. he cast a glance over his shoulder, then did a double take. Two young women were sprawled just outside the Nix Gate. one was dressed in full armor with blonde curls. the other had raven hair and wore a simple black tunic and trousers. Atton recognized the first one almost immediately.

"Cesealia!" he shouted, making his way over to see what was going on. The young magistrate stirred at the sound of his voice, groaning in pain as she struggled to push herself up off the ground...looks like the landing these two had was a bit worse then theirs had been. Atton knelt beside her, helping her up into a sitting position. the young woman beside her was beginning to come to as well.

"Thank you..." Cesealia said. gritting her teeth. That had hurt like hell... she'd been warned that it wouldn't be pleasant, but still... that didn't reduce the soreness in her body. Beside her Esmerelda managed to push herself up into a sitting position as well.

"I warned you it wouldn't be fun," she said. her Diran Accent ((sounds like a mix between a Spanish and Arabic accent)) was as noticeable as ever. anyone with half a mind would be able to piece together her voice with her complexion and features and figure out that she came from the desert. and they were close enough to where Maximus could hear it.

[Felicity]

Slightly disoriented, Darius simply answered the strange man's question. "See it? It damn near scared me out of my own skin before it flew off to who knows where"

[Supernovae]

Maximus raised an eyebrow. That voice and that face, had she really made it out of the city? Maximus rushed over to Esmerelda. "Esmerelda, is that ... Is that you?" A smile, quickly grew on to the young Ekarder's face as he kneeled down and checked her for wounds. "Are you okay? And where is Rodriguez?"

[Sutoratosu]

At the Diran Gate

"Ah, good," Said Lucian. He reached into his vest, his fingertips brushing his pistol... then he stopped and considered another route, and moved his hand down, producing a handkerchief from one of the inner pockets of the garment. he wiped his hands clean on the cloth... he hadn't noticed till now, but a bit of Morsey's blood had gotten on them earlier.

He was being a bit hasty just a moment ago... it wouldn't do to go blasting these fools heads off before he determined whether or not he could get any useful information out of them. so for now he changed his focus from preparing to eliminate potential competition in the job market, to acting friendly... but he was still going to kill all these men when he was done...they looked a bit too much like a band of mercenaries. and he wanted his wage to be as high as it could be.

"Do any of you know the Sky Slayer?" he suddenly asked the men, still cleaning his hands. the cloth was black as night and showed no sign of the blood being wicked away from his hands. he simply keep the smirk on his face, not showing a sign of his intentions for when they were done answering.

At the Nix Gate

"Get away from me!" Esmerlda instinctively snarled at Maximus as he got close to her face. she scrambled back a foot or two before stopping herself. a regretful expression was on her face as she realized she had just given into the force of an old habit. she had never really liked letting people into her personal space... well, no, she didn't like letting male strangers get in her personal space. she'd spoken with Maximus a time or two, but those small occasions honestly didn't make him any less of a one.

"I...I'm sorry," She said. "I...don't like it when men get in my face... what did you ask?"

[Aurorix]

"Why would you want to know about the Sky Slayer, I mean its only polite to share why if you're asking so abruptly" Zolivar said with cunning. though he was just talking without thinking because he was still in a daze about what happened.

[Sutoratosu]

At the Diran Gate...

"why, I said why just a moment ago, my good fellow," Lucian replied. "as I have already said: I am seeking my new employer... and the Sky Slayer is he. Now then, from how evasive you were being just now, and the fact that you did not immediately deny it with zeal, like any normal person would, am I correct in assuming that you indeed have made his acquaintance?"

[Ragnar]

Gideon feels all nauseous after that trip, the Turk shakes it off and realize he's back where he first enter the city, near the Diran gates, He turns attention to the shady character, asking these out of the blue questions.

"He's gone, probably dead. that drake took him away." Gideon said bluntly as he steps forth towards the stranger at point blank range. He slid his hidden blade behind his wrist just a precaution as the turk answer. "Now tell me, out of all the people that can pay you... why choose him?"

Edited August 28, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Sutoratosu]

At the Diran Gate

"Well," Lucian said "I figure he's the most powerful person in the world if he managed to take down the church tonight. And where power is, Wealth isn't too long to follow. now then... Care for a magick trick?" with that said Lucian held up one hand, covering it with the handkerchief. and brought his other hand up and pulled the cloth away quickly, revealing a small knife in his palm... so small that it would be able to easily fit up someone's sleeve. now that Gideon thought about it... it looked alot like his knife...actually...he couldn't feel the metal against his wrist anymore... it was his knife. Lucian held the tiny blade up for all to see, then tossed it to the ground.

"So..." he began "You were going to slit my throat when I was talking, were you? what, did you think I wouldn't hear you slide that thing out of your sleeve? your only two fucking feet away from me, you moron. And your not very quiet about drawing your weapons. Now then... guess it's time to stop this fooling around." as soon as the words left his mouth, he whirled out a pistol and pressed it to Gideon's forehead, pulling back the hammer and pressing the trigger...

...

...

...

Gideon was still alive. Nothing had happened. The Fusil was obviously empty.

"Well, this is quite the tiny arsenal you got here, frien..." Said Boho. Lucian whirled around to find the funky-haired magistrate sitting behind him on the ground indian style. a pile of one handed Fusils and ammo sat in between his legs. there were at least three or four firearms there. Lucian was absolutely shocked to find him there... with all his gear.

"How the hell did you..."

"Get your shit?" Boho interrupted coolly. "You're not the only one here who knows how to make the fingers nimble as air. I also confiscated all the Myta you had on you, along with this bad-boy..." he held up a strange tong-like device, clicking the two heads together a few times and generating a fair amount of sparks.

"These are only given to Fusilers in the Church Army," he continued. "Which means... you must be a deserter... quite a hefty crime... you could get offed real quick for it."

"S-so what!" stammered Lucian. "The church had fallen, I was merely maneuvering myself to ensure that I had continued employment!"

"Well now all you have is a Felony charge on your head," said Boho as he stood up. "You've got two options, really... you just attempted to murder someone... and your a deserter. so here is Option numero uno, puta: you'll become our prisoner, I arrest you for these two crimes and then me and my friends here will head to the nearest city within the Papal state and we'll leave you in the custody of the local Magistrate department in order to await Execution. And you're also obviously looking for Stratos, so here's option two: We still make you our prisoner, but instead of taking you to a Magistrate office, we take you with us out into the Sand Waste and you'll get to meet the Sky Slayer himself... though once he hears of what you tried to do just now, you'll probably end up deader than dead. Which do you choose."

Lucian took a moment to think it over... this was a big decision, afterall... hmm... Death by Execution...or Death by Sky Slayer?

"I'll take my chances with the Sky Slayer," he answered a few seconds later. "I can just convince him that It's smarter to hire me than to kill me"

"alrighty then." Boho chimed "we got ourselves a plan...now then..." He rushed forward and gripped Lucian by the shoulder with one hand, bringing a savage punch around with the other, connecting solidly with Lucian's chin. he let go of him, and the Fusiler sprawled in the dirt. Boho didn't relent, only began to kick him in the ribs...once, twice...three times... four, five, six... he brought his foot back for a seventh. Lucian was groaning on the ground, blood coming from his mouth and nose. another kick probably would've killed him.

"I think that's enough for now," Said Boho. "think of that as preemptive punishment, in case you were thinking about running off from us while we all head through the desert together. You try to run at any time, or pull anything on us at all, then I'll resume this here beating and then strangle you like the worthless bag of shit you are, got me?"

"Yes...sir..." Coughed Lucian. it hurt whenever he took a breath... hurt very much... he was fairly certain that he had some broken ribs. God, did this man kick hard. Boho turned his attention to the group now.

"Sinbad, ma friend," he said "Help me get this whore son to his feet. Darius, collect his weapon stash from where I left it on the ground... and Gideon... Give him a good kick to the stones when me and Sinny here have him up."

[Chevaleresse]

Matrim walked up to where a young man and woman seemed to have been having a bit of a spat. "There's no need for that, I'm sure the boy meant no harm." He extended a hand toward her to help her up. "M'lady."

[Ragnar]

Gideon never though he sees the day that he was outmatched in terms of speed, He was in disbelief on how quickly he was disarmed,

obviously there's some sorcery involved in this as the magistrate can do i as well. Gideon give a nod as Boho restraints the man.

"You're fast blondie, hard to admit, im quite impressed....now shut-up, you're coming with us." He pulls out one of his sword wrap in its scabbard and give the man a quick wack to the nuts.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Sinbad hammed it up. "Ooooooh, that one looked like it hurt there pretty boy. Hopefully we don't got to that to much more if you cooperate."

[Felicity]

Darius nodded, dutifully collecting the gear and holding most of it in his arms despite it being somewhat awkward. He knew he couldn't prevent theft if they used whatever trick they had used before, but it'd be a damn sight harder if he could instantly tell when they disappeared.

"Where are we off to then Sir?" He asked Boho

[Chim]

Trystane pulled himself up. He had no idea what just happened and didn’t give a damn about it. He turned around, watched over his back, and repeated the movement over and over again. He moved around in circles, desperately looking for his friend. Every time something moved he hoped to see Onyx, only to feel a weight fall down in his stomach when it wasn’t his horse. Deep down he knew it; mere moments before they disappeared from that Altar, Onyx pulled his reigns out of Trystane’s hand. Deep down he knew it. But he just couldn’t accept it.

Trystane stumbled over to Atton and grabbed the man. “Hey y-you, w-what did y-you do? W-where is my horse?” he asked desperate. His hands started shaking as he lost his grip, falling on the ground once again. He knew exactly where Onyx was; at the other side of that gate, the side that was burning to ashes. A single tear fell off the Hunter’s face.

He still remembered the first day he saw Onyx. It was five years ago; when he finally was allowed to call himself a Hunter. The horse was a gift from his family and teachers to congratulate him. It was the most beautiful horse he had ever seen. A young, pitch black stallion with a fierce personality. He immediately went for a ride that lasted hours, going faster than ever, enjoying every moment of it. He had never been happier in his entire life than on that day. They had been together for five years now. And in those years Onyx had become more than just a horse; it was a part of him.

The weight in Trystane’s stomach became heavier and heavier until he couldn’t bare it anymore. He had to face he lost his best friend. And while he sat there on his knees, he finally started crying.

[Sutoratosu]

At the Nix Gate...

(Super, Kenny, Chimchain, Snap, Murdoc)

Es hesitated for a moment when Matrim offered his hand to her, gazing up at the man, unwilling to trust. She saw something in his eyes, however... a strange kindness there. The same kindness she had always seen in Rodriguez's eyes... Rodriguez... The last she words she had ever said to him had been some childish spat because she wasn't ready to let him go, because she was afraid of being left on her own all over again. She had utterly and totally wasted the final words she had spoken with her adopted father... all the things she could've said:

'Thank you for taking me in when I had nothing and no one,', 'Thank you for all that you've done for me over the years.' Thank you for being my parent when mine were taken from me'... Anything, she could have literally said anything in that last moment she had with him on that roof top, and she had failed to grasp the magnitude of the situation, had given him grief in those moments. And now there was this man, with the same kind eyes...

"thank you," she said silently as she took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. Tears were visible in her eyes, beginning to streak down her exotic face. She didn't allow herself to break down, however. She held it together this time, she didn't allow herself to be weak like she had been before. No... this time, she was going to be strong... for her father. For Rodriguez..

"Tell me," Esmerelda said, turning her attention to Maximus. Despite her unwillingness to break down into sobbing, tears were still steadily streaming down her face. "My father... please... what happened to him? He's not with you...did he...?" She turned away before she could complete that thought, trying to fight back the rising emotion she felt, having to place her hand over her mouth in order to muffle the sounds of breathing, which was beginning to grow quicker as she struggled to keep herself composed.

Atton stood over trystane as he wept, trying to explain the best he could...

"Your horse..." he began. "I'm afraid that Animals and Light walking don't mix well... They tend to be frightened when they sense whats happening and try to get as far away as possible. I'm sorry, but I don't know where your horse is..." He stopped at that point, not daring to say what he was thinking next... that not many things would've been able to outrun that sea of light... that Trystane shouldn't get his hopes up. A voice rang out at that point, belonging to a young man. neither Atton nor Trystane had noticed his approach.

"You said that you had a horse?" Aaron asked, kneeling down to be at eye level with Trystane on the ground. "Then you shouldn't worry about him, they're smarter than most might think them to be."

At the Diran Gate...

"We're heading out into the Desert," Said Boho. he reached into his belt and pulled a pair of hand shackles, clasping them down on Lucian's wrist and screwing the restraining bolts in...tight. "We'll follow the Lord's road, which we're on right now, to the south, then we'll head off it and venture into the sand waste in the northern part of the Diran."

With that said, he shoved Lucian forward roughly. The Fusiler stumbled, almost falling flat on his face.

"Mush!" Boho shouted. "Mush, I say, Mush!" he pulled out a length of leather from somewhere beneath his cloak... it was a whip. He snapped it loudly in the air above Lucian's head, spurring the man into getting a move on down the road, his hands bound behind his back. The magistrate replaced the Whip back beneath his cloak, setting off behind the prisoner.

"Let's go, Folks!" he called back to the group. In the distance, the four men that the group had spotted earlier were just specks moving farther and farther down the road.

Outside the Low Gate...

Theme: "A Valient Steed"

Onyx Galloped through the raised porticus of the eastern most gate of the city just as the wave of light splashed behind in his wake, stopping as soon as it reached the gate and proceeding no further. He had done it... he had gotten out in time. A groan of pain, along with a shifting weight on his back,reminded him of the passenger he had picked up on the way. he threw his body to the side, tossing the young woman off and sending her sprawling to the dirt below. She coughed and spat for a few moments, trying to dislodge the dirt and dust that had gotten into her mouth. She pushed herself up and got into a sitting position, looking up at the stead that had saved her.

"Um...thank you?" She said. more of asked, really. "What's...what is your name?" she shook her head, realizing the silliness of the question she had just asked. "Never mind... can't believe I'm trying to talk to a horse...Tonight has just been too strange... first I almost get killed... though that was really my own fault... then all of this..."

"Yay, it has been" Onyx thought to himself "though tis a shame that you'd be too stupid to understand me if I tried talking back." But he was used to Human's being incredibly dense, as all horses were used to it. They thought they were so smart, so clever, and that Horses were just another type of mindless beast for them to tame. But they were all wrong, a horse could compete intellectually with a human any day of the month... their kind simply had a massive language barrier preventing them from proving it. Whenever a horse tried to communicate with man, all that men apparently heard were a series of nays and whinnies and snorts... meanwhile, when two horses got together, they could start up a conversation and hear the words coming out of each other's mouth clear as day. And to make it even worse, Horses were able to understand humans just fine... hell, technically, their language was very similar to theirs. And yet Humans could never get the message that they tried to convey... it was strange. very strange how things worked. He noticed that the young woman had a rather large bruise on the back of one of her hands, as if someone had struck her with a staff. just to prove his own point, Onyx tried to ask her an obvious question.

"Are you injured?" he asked the young woman...well, more of a girl, really. All she heard was a snort.

"I guess we should find somewhere to spend the night..." She said absentmindedly, not really sure as to what to do.

"Just like I said," Thought Onyx "Too. Damn. Stupid." This little charade was done now. He had to find Trystane... he too was a dumb human, but at least he was his dumb human. Onyx had saved this young woman's life. He'd gotten her out of the city. As far as he was concerned, he had done all that he was morally obligated to do. He trotted off down the road, looking for clues as to where Trystane could've disappeared to.

"W-wait!" he heard someone call out behind him. The young woman started running off after him. He was considering taking off at a gallop and leaving her behind, but he decided to be nice and let her ask one more one-sided question before he took off. He came to a stop and let her catch up.

"Perhaps we should stay together," she proposed. "after all, I'm sure you're probably looking for your rider, I could help you."

"Damn it..." Onyx sighed aloud. What the girl heard was another snort. "You seem to be a bit smarter than you seem... trying to entice my company by offering to help with my only goal..." Then he remembered that nothing he said was coherent to her in any way, and realized she had just been lucky enough to happen to offer to help on a goal that he so happened to have in mind.

"Fine," he relented, lowering himself on his front legs and bowing his head, like a camel almost "Get on."

The girl only heard a whinny this time. she took this combined with the horse's position to mean that it approved of her coming with him. she climbed onto his back, and Onyx brought himself up straight again, resuming his trot down the road.

"I'm Agnes, by the way." the young woman said as they continued down the road, heading towards the Zrazara, where Onyx assumed that Trystane would've gone if something went wrong.

"I am known as Onyx" Onyx said. all Agnes heard was yet another snort. "But of course you can't understand anything I'm saying... but just know, give me any humiliating names, and I will drop you into the first deep ravine that we come across." and so it was that with Agnes on his back, Onyx began his journey... began his search for Trystane, for his rider and closest human friend.

[Aurorix]

"Well, standing here wont accomplish anything." Zolivar said as he headed with Boho down the path.

[Ragnar]

"To be honest, i've never been on the northern part of my city before, but i must warn you, the weather there can get pretty rough,with the sandstorms and whatnot, not to mention the scorching heat by day and freezing temperatures at night." Gideon said to the group. "Especially we got an extra baggage on our hands." The swordman take a glimpse of the prisoner. "Got a name blondie?" Gideon ask the restraint gunman.

Edited August 29, 2014 by typhlosionrulez