P.S.S. "The Legend Of The Primal Keys"::Ch.2 b- Desolation [IC]

[Sutoratosu]

Deric...did nothing. He just sat there, looking at Sinbad with a face that was completely unreadable. the wolf like fury had begun to ebb from his eyes, replaced some unknown mixture of guilt, grief, and reconsideration. He lowered his dukes, taking a few steps away from Darius as the knight sheathed his bastard blade. Then he turned his back to them all.

"Simply amazing how that fucking works, isn't it?" Leon said, stopping the magic he was in the process of casting. the White Winds swirling around them faded into the night sky, the howling and thunder died down. He was still miffed beyond all possible belief though... he simply knew how to control it from living so many times. He walked off to the edge of the campsite away from the group, making sure to stay within Earshot. "Go on then," he called to the group. "you all calmed him, you all talk to him now. Only you can wake him up. You've already seen what happens when I get involved..."

Deric meanwhile said nothing. He simply stood there, gazing up at the moon in all it's grandeur. But all the while his thoughts were churning.

"Maybe this man is right... I set out this night seeking to shed blood, and how much destruction did it cause? This whole city is leveled, nothing but glass and melted stone. Jez and the others are all dead... Sam and Aaron probably along with them. I went out tonight with the intention to kill one man... and how many people's deaths did that end up causing? I keep trying and trying to set things right, but all I do is end up harming more and more with all this violence. I'm a damn fool. I keep trying to appease her, and yet all I'm likely doing is causing her even more grief. This man...the sniper... he already understands the folly of it. He's lost someone as well. He's simply wiser than myself. I wonder... does lucretia stand watching this, shedding tears as well?"

"You're right, Sniper," He finally said, breaking the silence that had drawn out into what seemed to be eternity. "...The one you lost; What was her name?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Bianca, she had lovely chocolate brown hair, and a smile that rivaled the stars in the heavens. Her eyes, 2 giant blue pools, I swear looking into them reminded me of the ocean, but not any ocean, the ocean within my soul. She walked with a grace like a being that was heavenly, an angel among the mundane. I remember her on that day, the one where I promised her I would make this world a place where one day our children would be able to live without ever having to cry a tear, that we would make it a place where Humanity could be all it could. This Angel believed in the flawed beings that are humans, she took her gaze for the heavens to look on us to share in our world. And how was she repayed? She was brutally murdered at the hands of Pirates, people I used to call comrades friends, and brothers. They were privateers no longer, only pirates who wore the flag of the Golden Coasts in spite of the country they once served. They painted over it with a giant Silver X. And what spurred them to do this you ask? They were jealous of me and my success. They saw a fool who got complacent in his fortune and they in their envy, decided to steal it from him. They took everything from, but none of that shit matters, wealth, gold, frivolous things whatever. DAMN THEM ALL!!! They took her from me, and that is all I care about, the only treasure I ever really lost. The only thing I have of her is this." he said, flipping his crossbow off his back. He pointed to a little compartment on the side, a small brass latch. He opened it, and inside was a pressed flower, A beautiful White Orchid. It was attached to some sort of hair piece, it was nothing fancy, just a simple clip to put it in a woman's hair. "That flower was her favorite, she wore it in her hair almost everyday. And when they smashed her body, I vowed to samsh theirs. But, I never did that. She made me promise I would only shed blood that had to be shed. No world can be one without crying if there is bloodshed. No matter how horrible the person, someone out there loves them, someone cares for them. They have families and lives we know nothing about. And taking their lives is not our right, we have no right to take them for the people they love no matter the reason. Revenge isn't pretty, it is only ugly. It is as ugly as the actions that inspire it. You cannot beget Hatred with more hatred, if you do...te cycle never ends. We keep spiraling in madness. More blood drops fall into the earth, more tears. The World is already too full of tears and blood, we can't add more. If we do there will be no room for anything other than bloodshed and sorrow."

[Aurorix]

"Well, why_not make up?" Zolivar said sitting near the fire, "If you two were as close as you say you were, you should be able to make amends to a certain degree, right?" He asked the man after listening intently to his story.

Edited November 24, 2014 by EXLink32

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Or too blind to see what was in front of you, thinking him your friend you didn't want to imagine you were hurting him in that way, or that it could be so. I didn't want to believe the men of of my ship turned against me, we swore and oath to our kingdom to defend her, we brothers few. The ones brave enough to sail into the open seas and fight the brigands and the dangers that no others could. Envy, a nasty green beast, an ugly thing that corrupts pure jealousy into something much darker. It is a thing that comes form the depths of weakness and despair, and it turns people into shadows of their former selves. The Silver Blood, a horrid gang that formed out of the ashes of what I worked to build with my own hands. They were once called the Freedom Gulls, a group dedicated to protecting the weak, the poor, and the downtrodden. However, some men saw the money in it, and decided it was worth their souls to take it from me, the thing I created to save people from pirates, well it become the very monster it fought against, they changed the name of course, still angers me to this day flying that flag giving me a bad name." Sinbad said, he spit into the dirt in front of him and covered it over. "That is what they have done to my legacy, covered it in the dirt of their souls. They cut off the gulls wings, and left him on a deserted Island with his severed wings. He fought, he found new ways to sustain himself, and cried at the loss of his wings. But he knew he had to get back on his feet. He strengthened himself for months, in prep for the long swim. He buried his wings there on a nameless Island in an unmarked grave. And then he took the plunge, he swam for 3 months to make it shore, only stopping on small islands to rest and to eat whatever he could find. The Gull one day made it back to the Golden Shores.....but that place was no longer the country he had left behind. It was a shadow of what it once stood for. And so the Gull has traveled ever since with naught but a bow and a ornery attitude. One day when the Gull makes this world the world he promised to his wings, he will return to that island, and plant the most beautiful orchids that you have ever seen.

[Felicity]

Love, so much of mankind's greatness came from or was linked to this phenomenon. This seemingly inadmissible part of life that seemed to force itself into everyone's lives at some point... The small gem of focus, forged in Darius' earlier anger, now had a flaw. The small question about what he would lose and miss out on by devoting himself to this cause. He was under no illusions; This task was no small feat, he would lose much of himself in the process, if his suspicions were correct. this could span several lifetimes.

So what if he never got to experience that small wonder known as Love that impacted Deric so much? Darius only had 21 years to him, his youth showed when compared to Sinbad, certainly, more so in the face of these ancient entities like Anansi.

Darius toiled over the tale, Derics words spurring Darius mind to thought and worry. after a while, Darius shoved t all away, before it could cloud his mind like a storm. "You said that he was now the widely known Thief King... Is that a false Title? Is he more than a thief, but a murderer?" Darius focused on what he had trained his whole life for: apprehending criminals.

[Ragnar]

Gideon blankly stares at the bonfire as he listen to the stories of both man, he seems to be spaceout as he heard the tragic past and loses about the man they've just encounter and the thief king's real name. To be honest, Gideon never really like these kind of stories, to him, its just a grim reminder that everything you love dies and all you feel is hopelessness and despair in the end.

"Fuck the thief king or whatever he is" Gideon said with a bitter tone to Darius as he turns his attention Deric. "so what exactly is he? seeing you're close as brothers." Gideon added to Darius's question.

Edited November 24, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Sutoratosu]

"He's both," Deric answered Darius, still looking up at the moon. "And something even worse besides... as for what he is, my best guess would be a madman at this point. He is almost nothing like he was so long ago... something had changed within in him long before it ever happened. And I think I know when it started, the beginning of the end for the bond the tied us together, the day that Marca's longing for Lucretia and jealousy for what we shared began to take a darker turn..."

4111 Years After the Darkness, The Town of Copora, The Capital Province, Renalim, in the midst of a morning rainstorm...

"Your form is still off," Dame Zefora said as she looked down at Marca. The teen lay sprawled on the tiled floor, his nose bloody and his mouth filling with the metallic tasting stuff as he glared over at Deric. The other boy turned away, a look of regret in his eyes for the strike he'd just delivered. Lucretia stood watching from the other side of the dome topped patio, her own blunt saber in hand, her face a bit Apprehensive from the look in Freyal's eyes. Rain still pelted hard off the roof, the deluge outside clearly visible through the open archways leading out of the place and into the garden of the Household. "You've no one to blame but yourself, Freyal," Zefora continued in her usual harsh tone. She was known for her skill...not her kindness. "Get up. continue the exercise. This time actually hold your sword correctly, and you won't have to worry about Deric catching you in the face.”

"I think it might be broken..." was all Marca could say, pressing his hand to the injury to try to stem the bleeding.

"Oh for the love of the Sky Lord..." Zefora pulled him to his feet roughly and grasped the ridge of his nose, her hand and eyes glowing a faint white a moment later as she listened to the spheres and healed the boy. It wasn't even a second after before she was shoving him away in disappointment. "Go, stand on the side lines. Lucretia and Deric will demonstrate the maneuver so that you can finally get it through that thick head of yours," then to Lucretia, "Come, Girl!"

Lucretia stepped forward to take Marca's place, glancing at the boy as he stalked off and leaned against the wall.

"Sabers at the ready." Dame Zefora ordered. Deric hesitated a little against his opponent, not wishing to have a repeat of a few minutes ago. Lucretia had similar misgivings... but did as instructed nonetheless, bringing up the Steel Waster.

"This is not Fencing..." Her instructor called loudly. she corrected herself and gripped the thing with both hands. Deric still hadn't brought his up. Zefora looked at him expectantly, than realizing that he was refusing to continue after the incident with Freyal, looked back to his opponent.

"Strike him down."

"But, mam... he doesn't even have his waster at the r-"

"I said: Strike. Him. Down. NOW."

She had no choice in the matter. God knows what happened whenever the old Dame got her temper up, not many had lived to ever tell about it. Lucretia readied herself, then circled around Deric with impressive footwork, feinting to the right before pivoting back and strafing before he could even react. The strike came from behind... The sound of steel clashing on steel echoed through the still air. Deric stood with his eyes shut, his arms arced over his head and his waster held perpendicular behind his back, blocking Lucretia's blow, the two of them struggling to push back against the other's strength. He opened his eyes, dropping the intense focus he had gathered in order to detect where the girl was and intercept the attack.

"Good, still willing to spar," Their instructor remarked, nodding at the boy. "Deric, commence." Again he hesitated, just as he had when ordered to get in a ready stance. The old swordswoman glanced at Lucretia whencemore. "Take his head off-"

Before she could even issue the order, Deric had spun around to an about face, swinging the practice blade in a high verticle arc meant to disarm, the force of the repulsion sending Lucretia's arm flinging out to the side before she could attack. Deric took a single shuffle away, finally holding the weapon in the desired stance. Lucretia came at him again, swinging in a horizontal arc from the right. Deric parried and returned with one of his own, the two of them falling into a steady back and forth, the song of tempered steel echoing like a choir of deadly angels. But Zefora found fault with this; Deric was going no where near as hard as he could muster, he was most definitely holding back right now, she knew it for a fact.

"Deric, stop going easy on her!"

"But-"

"Did you go easy on Freyal just now?"

"No, mam..."

"So just because she's a girl you're going to patronize her and not go just as hard as with against another boy?"

That couldn't be any farther from the reason I'm holding back, you old hag... Deric snarled mentally to himself. "No, mam..." he said despite his thoughts.

"Then stop holding back already!" Deric knew he had to do it. He increased the pressure he put on his offense and counters, parrying and returning more strikes now instead of simply blocking. The aria of metal and wood became louder. Soon he was pushing his opponent back, not letting up with the onslaught, predicting and countering, predicting and countering, falling into his pattern and synching his timing and his swings seamlessly.

"Now..." Zefora called. "Deric, COMMENCE!"

Enough... he knew he didn't have a choice. He'd just have to try harder to control the strike then he had with Marca. But then again, Lucretia didn't slack off nearly as much as his old friend over there. She'd probably be competent enough in her lessons to manage to block it.

"Fine," he muttered. He broke off the furious assault and danced back a few steps before taking off towards her, dropping the waster low and allowing it to sweep along the floor with an audible scratching racket, drawing closer and closer like a wraith in the night before pivoting a full 180 degrees on his heels just as he neared, bringing the sword around as if it were riding a circular staircase and using his momentum to swing it like a lead pipe at Lucretia's face, using the flat of the blade. Please, for the love of god, block this!

Either he was right about her paying more attention than Marca, or she had actually heard his mental plea, because Lucretia arced her weapon straight into the air, parrying the strike from below. the sound of clattering steel filled the whole room as Deric's saber flashed a few times in the torch light before skittering along the stones of the floor and coming to a halt against the far wall. Lucretia leveled her own at his throat, her face an unreadable mask, though a sense of relief was visible in her eyes. Deric stood down gratefully, looking at Zefora as he backed away in defeat.

"Do you see this?" Zefora said, stalking over to Marca. "Take a lesson from her; that is precisely how you do it. Now get yeh over here and try again. Lucretia, hand your Waster off to Deric." Nothing was said as the weapon exchanged hands and the girl walked off back to the sidelines. Marca stepped up to her place and prepared his saber hesitantly, Deric doing the same, hoping his friend would be a bit more successful than the last time.

"Commence!"

Deric moved first, coming around with a narrow arc to Freyal's left... the boy's defense was absolutely pathetic, He was knocked off balance by the blow, arms flailing out from the impact force and sword dragging along the floor.

"Keep going!" Zefora ordered, her anger at Marca again rising. "Unleash the strike!"

Deric just stood there, looking back and forth from his friend and his instructor. But he wasn't attacking, that much was for certain. He was going to go causing him harm again.

"I said-"

"To HELL with what you say, damnit!" Marca interrupted her in a rage, flinging his waster at the old woman as hard as he could muster, only to have her draw her blade quick as lightning and cut the thing in two with a fluid strike, the split halves scattering onto the floor. She was still deceptively fast for her old age... Meanwhile Freyal had the look of a provoked wild dog in his eyes. "A pox on you and your damn drilling! I'm done, Damn it all, you hear me, hag? Fucking DONE! Find yourself a new apprentice to bitch and rail against every waking hour of EVERY FUCKING DAY!"

"Marca, where are you go-" Deric was cut short by the other boy storming out of the place and down the corridor. The sound of a door slamming emanated shortly thereafter. He glanced back at the Dame... For once she had nothing to say about Freyal. Either she really was plain speechless, or she was busy coming up with how she would kill the boy for ever even uttering those words when he tried to come crawling back. He wasn't interested in finding out which though. He had suspected this would eventually happen with how hard she had always been on Freyal, all the never ending criticisms in all things, whether they be related to his training or not. Deric and Lucretia were seen by Zefora as two of the best she'd ever taught, but Marca? He may as well been a pile of manure on the streets, that's about what he was treated like in her household, at least. To be quite honest, Deric was rather pissed off at the old woman himself for railing that hard just now; It was just one strike that Marca had missed in that whole Session, could she not have just let fucking it go?

"No...of course she couldn't..." He muttered as he opened the front door and headed out into the dreary, gray streets and the deluge. "She always has to find something to pick at, some flaw with everything to always point to...and of course today was no different." The air was frigid and the wind savage, the rain pelting hard on his padded training tunic as he struggled against the storm's fury, catching a flash of motion from around the corner just down the way before being blinded by a crack of lightning...

"So you think you can just walk into my part of town, like you fucking own the place?" The Ruthian said to Decate as he got up close and personal with the young man. He twirled a knife in one hand, a crazed look in his eye, and the eyes of his gang members and lackies as well. Marshall and Royce stood with their backs pressed to his, facing off against the other street scum as they formed a circle around the three of them like a band of predators. They were surrounded without even the slightest hope of being able to get away in one piece. All from nothing more than a wrong turn down the last avenue...

"No," he said, backing away from the older teen. "Like I said, we just took a wrong turn. If you'd be so kind as to let us go, we'll get out of your hair as soon as we can..." Please, for the love of god, let us go... I don't much feel like having my ass royally handed to me like back then with the weird stick wielding kid...

"Ho ho!" one of the punks called, snatching something from Decate; his glasses. "Look here, mate, is that silver I see in the rims?"

"Indeed it is," the leader nodded, turning his attention back to the trio. "Get em, boys, take everything these rich little fucks have, including their lives, if they struggle. We're gonna be rolling in Myta by the time we get their shit to pawn..."

The circle began getting smaller and smaller. Decate took a few more steps back, bumping into Marshall and Royce as they did exactly the same. Most of the Gangsters were unarmed save for their bare fist, but a few held iron roads and sticks and a few daggers even. The rain continued to beat down all around as Decate squinted, trying to come up with a way to save their hides from an untimely death here... for the love of the Sky Lord, if only there were ever a Magistrate around when you actually needed one!

"Aye, there's another one over there!!" A gang-banger shouted over the din of the storm. Everyone snapped their attention to the opposite side of the street the moment he called out. A boy in padded leathers stood there watching, his black hair drenched and hanging down in his face. His eyes were murky, as turbulent as the very storm raging in the town. The gang leader sized him up, concluding that the boy was nowhere near strong enough to do anything about their business with these three.

"Don't stand there, you little shit," he called. "Unless you want some trouble too, keep your ass walking!"

"You three look familiar, we met before?" Marca called out to Decate, completely ignoring the street hustler.

"Maybe we have..." Decate answered, mulling over why the voice and face rung a bell. Then the memory of accepting the stick years ago flashed through his mind. "You..."

"Aye, my friend whipped you well," Marca confirmed. "But you held up your end of our bargain...so I'll give you that..."

"AM I NOt EVEN FUCKING HERE!!?" the gang leader roared at the two of them as they carried on.

"Oh, you are, don't fret..." Marca scowled at the older teen angrily. "But look, you god forsaken piece of street trash, don't just jump in and interrupt me when I'm trying to engage in a conversation with someone. I'm already hot as fire as it is, and you'd be wise not to make my blood boil even more..."

"Street trash?" The leader asked, looking to his lackeys. "Did that fucktard just call us Street trash? Well, boys... guess that tears it, now doesn't it?" he looked back over at Marca. "Kill him, and send these three pansies straight to hell too while your at it." A fearsome chorus of ayes echoed out as the small mob rushed in upon the boy...

"There, I see him!" Jezicalo said as he followed behind Deric into the slums of the town, trailing the shouts they had been hearing ever since Jez had stopped the Sword Apprentice in the doorway of a shop he'd been running an Errand to. "He's got a damn mob after him!"

"That's not a mob..." Deric snarled maliciously. "That's a gang, a bunch of lowlifes who lack the courage to act alone..."

"Either way, he's surrounded, Deric," Jez called. "We need to break through the crowd...but I'll likely kill most of them in the attempt..."

"Do it then," the boy ordered his friend. "Their lives were already forfeit as far as I care."

Jezicalo nodded, throwing back the hood of his cloak and focusing himself on the rain and the spheres. He found the Requiem he needed, tuning himself as best he could while running and beginning to exert control over the wind and rain all around them. His eyes blazed a frigid blue, his hands beginning to do the same, leaving a vapour trail of aura in their wake. A similar Aura began to arise from the Mobsters...

"Well fuck a duck..." Marca snarled as the lowlifes came charging at him like an ocean swell. there was no where to run and nothing to defend himself with... with the exception of the knife stuck in the back of his belt.

"Come and get me then, bastards!" he called, whipping out the Pure Muinnat Blade and slashing the first one to reach him, the metal tearing through the flesh of the boy's hand like butter. Marca came in for another strike, tearing up the assailants entire arm with a few quick strokes before shoving him back into his compatriots. Another came, swinging with an iron pole. Marca pivoted and ducked, taking a swing at the boy's thigh as he did and dragging the dagger down along the whole length of his leg as if it were paper. He would've gotten up and kept cutting the teen if it weren't for the swift kick to the ribs the Leader gave him right as he landed on the ground, knocking the wind right out of his lungs and the knife from his grasp.

"So you've got Bite to accompany that Bark..." he said, glaring down at Freyal and picking up the knife. "But even rabid dogs stop biting if their throat is slit." He spun the handle in his palm, holding it backhanded as he came forward sweeping in a wide vertical arc, going for Marca's trachea. The attack never landed though...

It never landed because the air filled with a chorus of screams, including that of the Leader himself. Screams more of terror and confusion than actual pain. Screams drawn up by the countless blades of water streaking through the air to and through like a dart barrage, cutting and slicing up their bodies wherever the droplets made contact. A blue Aura hung heavy around the place, making a haze in the air. The wind howled even stronger and began buffeting them all, knocking many to their arses and then again to their backs... and the chill it carried burned like fire.

"LEAVE NOW, OR YOU DRAW YOUR LAST BREATHES HERE!!" Marca heard Deric's fury filled voice suddenly order. The next thing he knew, the Gang Members and their head honcho was scrambling down the way as fast they could, the cutting, blade like rain and the burning wind following them until the blue aura mist dissipated from the area. There was hands on Marca's arms and shoulders. someone was helping him up to his feet, making sure to avoid his ribs.

"You alright after that little stunt?" Decate asked, assuming it had been him who had conjured that nice little storm from hell.

"That little 'storm from hell' Was my doing, thanks," Jez corrected as he and Deric finally drew nearer. The faint frigid glow still emanated from his hands and eyes, fading as the storm began to the return to a steady, monotonous rhythm. "And you're welcome, my friend," he continued, glaring down at Marca. "I just saved your ass from whatever Stupidity you were conjuring up... and god have I just gotten a massive headache from it... You know how hard it is to tune whilst running at top speed? it's not pleasant, at ALL, let me tell you..."

"Indeed he did," An old woman's voice called as the rain began to let up a little. Zefora and Lucretia came from down a side street, the Dame holding her sword of gold out at the ready, a bit disappointed it would not get to taste blood this day... "And you're damn lucky he showed up when he and Deric did, you insolent little fool."

"What, you come out here to apologize to me?" Marca scoffed at the lady.

"I came out here after you because if you run off from my household in a tizzy, and are murdered shortly thereafter, then the fault lies with me as the last legal adult to have had you in my direct responsibility. And I'd honestly not care much to have that particular conversation with Arch Magistrate Kyser...or your pathetic parents. I just knew deep in my soul that someday, you'd do something stupid and life threatening that would require someone having to bail you out. And look, I find you facing off against an entire Street Gang in the slums. Was I not right in my gut feeling, boy?"

"The only thing my gut is telling me is that you're still as salty an old bitch as ever..." Marca muttered, shoving Decate away and standing on his own, the pain in his side made ignorable by his again rising anger at the instructor.

"What was that?"

"I hereby forfeit my place as an apprentice in your tutelage," He officially declared, hands itching for the damn Muinnat blade the Gang Bangers had taken with them when they had fled... "From this day forward, I hereby renounce all duties along with all privileges as such. I will end this declaration here in an effort to prevent myself from developing the urge to strangle you in your sleep..." With that he turned and began walking away. But he stopped... turned back and looked at Deric and Lucretia.

"I advise you two do the same," he suggested. "This woman hates all three of us, she just feels the need to actively display my share of it more often. You stay, and the rest of your training days likely won't be very pretty... or civil. Did she not force you two to fight with intent to kill earlier?"

"It was an exercise, you worthless little fucktard," old Zefora snarled bitterly at the accusation. "Not actual fucking combat."

"Strike him down!" Marca ordered, mimicing her voice rather well. "Take of his head! Recall giving Lucretia those orders? Recall how you ordered Deric to continue despite his misgivings about the particular maneuver? yeah, that doesn't sound like fucking practice, you old crone. You may be renowned throughout this whole damn town, but your teaching methods are questionable at best."

"Oh, so I see what you're getting at," Zefora mocked. "So you've suddenly gained years and years of experience in the art of swordsplay, and your sitting here lecturing me that I should allow my students to do whatever they damn well please?"

"Stop fucking dancing around it!" He shouted. "You know full well that's NOT what I'm FUCKING GETTING AT! It's a matter of ETHICS! ETHICS, GODAMN IT! from the verbal and even physical abuse I've seen, and received from you over the years, I'd say you have none! That's why I'm stepping down as an apprentice to you; Because you crossed the line so many times, belated and railed against me, bitched and moaned and scrutinized and relentless criticized everything I've done, whenever I stepped through your front door, I always had to brace myself to feel like an absolute sack of SHIT, and God and the Pope as my witnesses, I shall not sit by and merely take that any longer!" The elder had nothing to say to that, so Marca turned back to Lucretia and Deric. "Are you leaving? I'm telling you, I'm not putting up with this anymore, and once I'm gone, she's going to start taking it out on one of you instead." He looked especially at Lucretia as he said it. "Don't let her treat you like cattle, either of you. Stop this whole mess before you even have to go through it."

"Marca..." Lucretia began. "You're a charity case, recall? there's no actual contract binding the agreement between you and her, so you're free to leave when or if you ever see fit. It's not that simple for me or Deric though. We're both under law to complete our study under her. I'm sorry, but..."

Marca was visibly hurt by her refusal... he looked at Deric, expecting him to realize just how right he was about this whole thing...

"She's right... I'm sorry," was all his friend could say. He had seen everything that Marca had cited, and he knew there was evidence supporting all his complaints... but there'd be hell to pay with his father if he went and broke the contract, And Lucretia would receive just as much, if not even more hell, from her parents and maybe even Jezicalo himself... a dishonor, it was seen as.

Giving your word to something and then flip flopping... and it was a dishonor everyone took seriously. in Copora, you had your word and good name before you could gain anything else, and if you lost those... you lose everything by extension. If people can not trust you, you found that you had little choice but to either head into the slums to live out the rest of your days or just leave town all together. Marca though... did not have his word recorded in ink to worry about. Zefora had agreed to train him for nothing, thinking him to have potential. She was right about him... but was angered constantly by one thing; how much he'd always rebel when she tried to help him hone it.

"So that's it then, you're staying?" He asked dejectedly.,. of course they were, together. I had gotten more and more noticeable over the years, the more and more Deric was taking interest in Lucretia... in the girl he himself had looked at from afar since day one. And every time he tried to get to know her like Deric had, always foiled... but Deric had been more than successful, it was painfully obvious so, the fact she was going to stay under this hag's tutelage alongside him spoke as much. He had tried from early on, Deric had just jumped in at the last minute... and yet he had gotten the most progress. How the hell could that possibly be justified? how was it fair? why was that all his efforts turned to shit...why? just...why?

"I'm a third wheel then..." He said, turning away. "I'll be seeing you two around," and I'm going to want to drench myself in wicker oil and light a spark every time I do... With that he was gone, walking off down the street.

Deric... honestly didn't know what he felt now. it was a strange mixture, glad he had saved Marca, Angry at himself for not standing by him when he needed it just now, and at the same time glad again...at the fact that Marca had failed to persuade Lucretia to leave Zefora's training... he knew one thing though...despite all others and all emotions

He had failed his friend just now. Plain and Simple.

Present day, 4123 Years After the Darkness, A Random Campfire outside whats left of Lithania, Diros, Approximately 3:22AM

"It was those words he had uttered," Deric said, looking back at the group. "I'm a third wheel' Those were the tip off. Those were the signals that could've stopped all this from happening had I have just noticed it then and there. But I didn't..." He shook his head bitterly. "I was too busy absorbed in my own turbulent thoughts to notice my closest Friend's struggle. And that's what damned us all in the end, I'm sure of it. that one moment, if I had just...done something, anything, than just stand there and do nothing... maybe Lucretia would still be alive, she and I may not exactly have been to each other what we were, as things ended up playing out, but at least... at least she'd be alive. That's all I'm really angered about, not that he took her from me... but rather that he snuffed out her light from this world, that he caused that much... that much pain, that he caused her to suffer like she did in her final moments... He hurt her worse than any other person ever could, he violated and then destroyed her utterly. And that's why I desire his head now...why I desire naught more than his blood upon my hands."

[Aurorix]

"I know how you feel," Zolivar said starring off into the sandy dunes, "Having your loved ones killed and then feeling hated and wanted to kill the murderer..." He paused for a moment ass he reflected on that day and what happened. "He should still be in the city, right?" He asked now facing towards Deric, "I'll gladly lend a hand in your fight, though at the moment my armor and weapons were trashed in a previous fight before hand. If you know of a weapon storage anywhere in the city with armor and maybe a sword and shield then I should be good to go." He then started to rub his hands together and hold them in front of the fire since they were getting cold.

Edited November 27, 2014 by EXLink32

[Felicity]

Darius glanced at Leon, wondering what the old man would do, before turning back to Deric. "It seems like your tale is a knot in this string of fate that we'll just have to undo, alongside our other tasks. For what it's worth, I do know the feeling of thinking, I could have done something, anything, but I failed. It's not exactly the same beast, but I suggest turning your actions towards something you can achieve. It's what I'm trying to do..." He said, almost whispering the last part to himself.

[Sutoratosu]

"So I take it you've all lost someone to violence at the hands of another?" Deric asked Darius, looking to the Sky Slayer. "Even the mass murderer over there who's brooding over nothing?"

[Felicity]

"I lost my sister at the hands of some Church goons whilst I was apprenticing to be the knight I am now. It was my search for these men that brought me to the string of events that resulted in us being here." Darius explained. Once upon a time, sharing this information would have been quite difficult, stung his heart. He still hadn't forgotten Marcellos' vision, but a benefit of that was that Darius knew how much more the memory could hurt him.

[Sutoratosu]

"And what of you?" He asked, turning to Zoliver next.

[Aurorix]

"I lost my entire family during a pirate raid not too long ago," Zolivar said focused on the warmth of the fire in front of him, "At that time I only knew the forage, I barely trained with the sword. I couldn't protect them when they needed it the most, so I went to a close friend to train me to fight with the sword. Now I'm trying to find those damn pirates, and kill their captain for my family's sake." He clenched his fist and paused for a moment, "The gang of pirates are called the Silver Blood, if you ever heard of them."

Edited November 27, 2014 by EXLink32

[Sutoratosu]

((Look, I'm moving on now, Zoliver and Sinbad can have their big "Wait, what did you say!?" moment later, but this is just holding things up right now.))

The only person yet to be asked was Gideon. Deric looked over at the Turk expectantly, as did Absalom and Lucian. Even Leonidas was glancing over as they exchanged stories of loss.

((And yes, Absalom and Lucian were there the entire time.))

[Ragnar]

"People die in my life and i just simply get over it." the Turk shallowly answered and keeps a tight lip. Gideon isn't the type of guy that gets all mushy and pour out his heart and tells his tragic past to a bunch of people. especially to a guy he just meet, But his eyes tells a different story, its filled with utter hatred and has the same intensity as Leon. Gideon wants nothing more but vengeance to those people who is responsible for his father's unfair trial and beheading and what he has become today: an exiled, a wanderer, an outcast of his own land. Gideon keeps this pain to himself as he said nothing further.

Edited November 29, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Sutoratosu]

"Then what about you, boy?" Deric next asked, turning to Absalom.

The boy hesitated with his answer, then finally with a cold tone. "I watched my father be struck down right before me not long ago..."

"My condolences then," Deric said, nodding. next was Lucian. "And you?"

"My father was a monster, let us all just leave it at that..."

Deric again nodded, knowing exactly what probably happened. He glanced over at Leon, truly the only person who had yet to say anything the entire conversation. "And what of him" he asked of the group. "I assume someone with a track record as long as he has probably lost more people than all of us put together."

Leon heard the question, heard the whole conversation leading up to it, but did nothing when he was mentioned. He simply stayed there, back to the group. His silence was actually beginning to become unsettling...

[Felicity]

Darius found Leons silence unsettling, especially with how, Vocal he had been beforehand. "Leon, do you want to speak up, or...?"

[Sutoratosu]

A chuckle emanated from the hero, slow and solemn, dark, filled with enough venom and anger to last multiple life times. it was a deep laugh, a laugh that would shake even the most courageous down to their cores. on and on it dragged, picking up in intensity with each moment. Lucian instinctively began moving his hand to his gun, sensing that something may be very, very wrong... Deric just looked at the sky slayer, vexed by whatever the hell the man found so funny from the question. Absalom had the same look of confusion.

"You damn fool...oh yes, I keep forgetting how thoroughly Anansi conducts his memory wipes," he said finally, glancing over his shoulder. the glint in his eye was like nothing they had ever seen before, not one of them in the group. It was a thousand times fiercer than any look Deric had ever given them. "Fine, I'll answer your question, old friend... You."

"Wait, what?" Deric asked, having no idea what the hell the sky slayer was talking about. "You make no sense, monster... I had never even laid eyes on you in person before this night."

"You," Stratos insisted. "Every Last one of you. all five. You, Circe, Mushasi, everyone. The best Friends I ever made, and You're all going to do die in the end of this whole mess... and there's going to be nothing I can do about it, because I'll be dead right along with you." he turned to face Deric and the others fully, his voice strong as steel.

"This is the second time for the rest of you, but I've had eight runs in this world... and it ends soon, all of it. no coming back, for you or for me... because all six of us will be gone, nothing once this is over. The future is not bright or pleasant for those of us from the Heroic era, Deric... but you'll come to remember this soon enough. Afterall, it was you who was the first among us to accept this fact..."

Deric only stared at the man, then "What the hell are you ranting on about?"

"That's a damn good question..." Lucian muttered to himself, not really sure if he would need his gun or not, but he kept his hand hovering near the pocket, just encase...

[Felicity]

"And who says you all have to die by the end of this? And perhaps, even if that is the case, despite our best efforts, is that as bleak a fate as you make it out to be?" Darius questioned Leon. Gesturing to the entire group when he said "Our". "Surely after 8 lifetimes of fighting and heroism, whatever other forces out there shall allow you some peace, alongside those you love? If what truly awaits you IS such a sad fate, then I'll be a one-armed bandit mugging people on the open road"

[Sutoratosu]

"Then enjoy your time as a highway man," Leon said humorlessly. "But it's not as simple as "try hard and hope the future changes" my young friend. We've been shown the likely results, peices of how this war is going to end. Anansi showed us all what is likely to happen when we signed on. We all accepted it. No matter what you, or any of you do" he pointed his finger at each and every member of the party in turn. "The futures of myself and him and the other four will be the same at world's end... Nothing. in the most literal sense of the word. So there's your answer, Deric... I haven't suffered my greatest loss yet, but I will in time." he turned back away from them, like he had been before.

"But we knew what we were getting into... and we have a job to do, and damn it, I'm going to make sure that it gets done, and that it is done correctly. Now hurry up and finish your tale so that we can get down to business..."

"Tell me," Deric said to Darius Sarcastically. "Do you all have to put up with this Egotistical, mass murdering, mentally insane ray of sunshine on a regular basis?"

[Felicity]

"I don't count anything as regular recently, but I've known that man, as he is now, for less than a day." Darius replied. "And if nothing else, consider one thing: You said "Likely". Even if there isn't much chance, there's still a chance for a better ending." Darius said to Leon, hoping, even if it was a vain attempt, that he could help the man in some way. "But, If I can't change your mind, so be it. The question is, what now? We found you" Darius nodded to Deric "But where do we go from here?"

[Sutoratosu]

"Oh yes, less than a 1% chance of the outcome ever being different, that's nice..." Leon grumbled before answering the Knight's more important question, effectively pocket vetoing the whole conversation. "We head to the city from what I can gather from things. Apparently that's where this little encounter that killed his friends took place. Oh course, Deric would be better suited to lead you all there. it was his buddies that were slain, not mine."

"You are truly beginning to piss me off, Sky Slayer," Deric said, before turning his attention to what was left of the outskirts of Lithania. "Last I saw Marca I was retreating from his damn dragons... bastard somehow managed to find two and get them to obey. On the way out I found that bloke over there, somehow still alive despite the flames that had torn through the place." He pointed over to Shavian, who still lay on the ground watching...

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"You know a 1 percent chance is still a chance. Never liked gambling unless I had to though." Sinbad said with a chuckle. "Anyway I guess we best get moving, my feet grow restless, too much sitting, I hate sitting."

[Azeria]

The situation that got out of hand calmed down after a while.Seeing as there was no conflict,Shavian quickly wrote on a piece of paper he saw lying on the sandy floor of the Desert.As he finished writing down his message he gave it to the Person whom he saw when he woke up."Who are you and what happened to the Inn i was staying at in the City."Was what Shavian wrote to him.

[Sutoratosu]

"I'm the man who saved you," Deric answered upon reading Shavian's note. "as for that Inn, I assumed it burned down with everything else in the city... that begs the question; Mind explaining how you could've possibly survived those flames? they were hot enough to melt stone and turn sand into pure glass, look..." he gestured over to the City, and Shavian could see he was right. several strange glints of light relected in the illumination from the moon, making the glass that was once thousands and thousands of pieces of shattered stone very visible. The buildings looked as though they had melted like ice, making somewhat of a messy skyline in the distance...