Fire Emblem: The Black Mirror

Another day dawns on Pellam, and today promises to be very similar to previous days. Soldiers patrolling the streets, arresting anyone who falls out of line. Officers confiscating the property of "suspicious" individuals. Mages being hunted down and slaughtered on the spot. Young men and women being plucked off the street and being conscripted with no warning. The usual. One minor difference is that the number of public executions has been on the rise. From dawn until dusk, Officer Sting and his two cronies, Officers Leopold and Loeb, have been making examples out of individuals guilty of any crime, major or minor.

It's hard to say how long this has been going on. It certainly feels like a long time since Emperor Agathius went mad, but it's hard to be sure. For many people, this day is just another chapter in the book of misery the emperor is writing, but for you, today is special.

Today is the day you make your escape.

How? That's your business. You certainly don't want to join the ranks of the poor sods Officer Sting is hanging, burning, impaling or worse, but that seems to be the most likely outcome. The few people who've made it past the walls of Pellam have never actually managed to leave Pohja. Deep in your soul, you know that leaving is tantamount to suicide. But it's your only option at this point.

Fortunately for you, you are by no means alone. There is strength in numbers. If you can bring together individuals with the right mix of strength and cleverness, you might actually make it. Under the shroud of night, you will breach these walls.

Well, we're getting ahead of ourselves. What's your current state of affairs?

Diana sat on the small, abandoned house hugging her knees to herself an open book set on the floor at her side. She had already read the thing twice since she had been forced to flee the academy... her fellow mages in disarray, some trying to flee, others speaking of standing strong and together. The elders tried to maintain control and in this time, to keep their pupils safe, decided that they better simply enlist in the army to avoid breaking the law. Caught in such a situation, Diana knew not what to do... until Selene, as always, came through for her.

From the dead of the night she came... not in the brilliant soldier outfit she had seemed so dashing and happy in during her last visits... not with a soldier's spear in hand. No, she came dressed much as she had during the years before... light leather armor in specific place, clothes cut for ease of movement, of dark colors to avoid the eyes... and hide the blood. And that blade... the Killing Edge hanging from her hip. However, as fearsome as Selene may seem in the night... no matter the new splatters of blood on her clothes, her eyes were kind and filled with worry as she extended her hand to Diana from her window "It's time to go..." she had said, a voice full of regret mixed with grim determination.

Diana liked her big sister much more in the dashing clothes of the soldier... she had liked her smiles more when she trained with a troop of people like her. As she did honest work, defending the land and its citizens. It had been a good few years when Selene had been able to look up, proud in what she did.

However... madness had struck. And on these times a soldier could not protect her... only cut her down or ship her to a war front. Thus, the shift in her elder sister. For if there was one thing Diana knew, it was that Selene would keep her safe. Still, her heart ached... and her conscience gnawed at her due to all her sister had to go through to keep her safe. She wasn't as strong as her... however, she had been studying... she had been training. And sooner rather than later, she would pay back her debt. She too, would protect the only family she had left.

Diana's thoughts were disturbed then when the door to the little home was opened and in came Selene, looking with sharp eyes outside before closing the door... and then smiling in a comforting way at Diana.

"We got a way out, Diana" says Selene, approaching and then kneeling by her side "There is a group making an escape tonight. The plan has a few uncertainties, but its the best one I've heard in a while... and they all seem capable. We'll get out"

Diana smiled and nodded her head "Thank you, Sele... ah... do they seem like good people?" she asks, the question having the weight of their past experiences.

"Yes... they seem like good people. Not the most orthodox group, but good. Here... I got us some apples, bread and a bit of meat for lunch. Eat up... we'll need our energy for tonight" says Selene, sitting down at her sister's side.

After a little while of quiet eating, Selene retrieved another item from her bag "Say, I also got you another book. I don't know if it will be any interesting... but it's something to pass the while. Will you read it with me?"

"Sure, Sele. Thank you" she says, smiling as she gets her hands on the book... one of old religious stories and theory. Not her favorite reading but anything new was welcome.

Loren stared dumbly for a moment. "They're coming"? The Imperial army? Had they finally caught up with him like they had so many other free traders in the past? He started to step away from his parents' house, pretending that he didn't know they even lived there. His eyes flitted around, scanning the crowd for anything suspicious. There. A pair of soldiers dressed in full Imperial panoply had caught sight of him and were picking their way through the busy street. Provost guards no doubt. He slowly turned right. Two more had taken up a blocking position, inconspicuous to the common folk going about their daily business; after all, the provost was a common sight in the months since the crackdown began. To Loren, the situation was clear. They were coming to him with an offer, one that he would not be in any position to refuse. He turned in the direction of the two guards blocking the main avenue. Not very smart. Simply because of the number of people who would get in the way it was one of the worst avenues of escape in his mind. If he were trying to keep someone from running and didn't have enough men to seal all the entrances, he'd have been more aggressive and tried to funnel the runner into a trap.

The men who were crossing the street were gaining on him. "Excuse me sirrah!" the lead one yelled.

Loren ignored them and kept walking towards the other two guards, merging with the throng of humanity shuffling down the avenue.

"Sirrah Loren! We want to ask you a few questions! Would you kindly come with us?!" they yelled again.

So unprofessional. Loren reached into one of his belt pouches and grabbed a fistful of dirt. It was just one of those things that came in handy when you had to duck a few guards or a deal that had gone wrong. The two men approached him and moved to grab his arms.

"Don't be alarmed, sirrah, we just want you to come with us for awh-ARRRRRGH!"

Loren threw the dirt straight in his face, blinding him momentarily. Taking advantage of the brief moment of surprise, he turned and poked the other man in the eye as hard as he could. Then he immediately turned in the direction of a nearby side street and ran full tilt away from the four provost guards. The other two hesitated, complacent in the belief that he would walk straight into their blocking position and didn't react until the two others had recovered and started barking out orders. Shouts of "He's getting away! After him!" could be heard above the noise of the crowds. Loren shoved one poor shopper aside and shoulder-barged his way past another as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the four guards as he could. They were wearing full armor and carrying heavy spears so he reasoned that it shouldn't be hard to lose them in an extended chase. He turned right down a road leading towards the docks and almost ran straight into another provost guard.

"Beg your pardon, sir, totally an accidenthaveaniceday!"

Loren took off in the opposite direction and turned down another side street, trying to double back and lose his pursuers. Out of the corner of his eye he caught several more guards moving into blocking positions along other roads. It seemed as though they were actually trying to herd him in a specific direction; perhaps they weren't so incompetent after all.

But Loren was just better. Several hours of exhausting twists, turns, and several close encounters in a cathouse along the eastern wall, he was "safely" (safe being a relative term here) ensconced in an inn he often frequented in his younger days. He had known the previous owner, who was a bit free with his money and constantly buying the guests rounds on the house, which eventually forced him to sell to a man Loren barely knew. He seemed like a reasonable chap though, and after bringing a bit of business his way, he was all too happy to apprise Loren of the happenings around Pellam. Apparently everything was going to hell; more mages being rounded up and executed, more goods being confiscated for the war effort and, relevant to his current situation, more people with "special skills and knowledge" being conscripted for the Imperial Army. If ever there was a time to get out, it was now, and the man behind the bar of course could not condone any behavior that even looked like abandoning one's duty to the throne. However, if a man were to be standing in the shadow of the western wall, about halfway, at sunset he might find likeminded individuals who might be able to help.

edited 14th Dec '14 6:23:14 PM by HouraiRabbit

The cacophony of chases and chaos beat against the boarded up windows of Luka's shop. The doors were boarded up too, and a cheery-looking sign saying "Sorry, we're closed!" hung from the doorframe. A few people would bang on the door now and again, but there was no response. Nobody seemed to be in.

But of course someone was.

"Got my elixirs, my panaceas, my tonics..." Luka muttered, carefully organizing the remaining merchandise that was on their store walls into the bag that would soon go on their back. "Staff." They gave a quick pat to the knotted wooden stave on their back. "Sword." Another pat, but on the weapon hanging by their side. "Gold.." Several pats in assorted locations all over their body. "Good." They got up, and looked at the dismal state their shop was in. Once Luka's pride and joy, the place was now in shambles: shelves tilted askew, display tables thrown aside, the occasional bloodstain or shard of armor. It was a surprise, actually, that no one had decided to show up to find out where those missing soldiers went.

In all honesty, it was their fault for trying to extort money from Luka. The bastards.

It was just about time for them to be heading off. Yesterday had been hectic. Much too hectic to be good business, anyway. Luka absent-mindedly knocked on the shop counter. They'd miss this old place. It had brought in a good coin or two. Scared customers were willing to spend a lot of money. Granted, Luka never did any scaring of their own. This place, well, the emperor did it for them. This place was truly a high-risk high-reward area. But, the risk had gotten too high, so it was time to go.

Luka gently opened the door behind their shop, leading into the back alley. A couple bums sat around there, motionless in an attempt to not be seen by the guards of the city. Luka tipped their hat to them. They poked their head out from the alley, then calmly walked down the street off to one of the side gates. Going through the main gate would be tantamount to suicide. Then again, going out any gate was probably a plan wrought with danger. Perhaps scaling the walls would work, or slipping out in the dead of the night? Those sounded like pretty good options.

"Hey, you there! Boy! Have you seen the owner of this store? They are wanted for questioning!" yelled a voice from behind Luka. There was the sound of an elbow hitting armor. "That's clearly a girl, you dunce. What are you, blind?" whispered another, more rat-like voice.

Luka turned their head a bit to look at them, frowned, then took off running. "Sorry, but my closing sale was yesterday! Come back for our grand reopening sometime soon!" they cried out, rushing ahead. The soldiers behind them were confused for an instant before they too began to run, amid cries of "Hey, Stop!" and "Halt, Imperial Business!"

Well there went that plan. Time to find some other method of escape.

Malsch stood a short ways outside the side gate, frowning at the guards. The same guards who were meant to keep the people IN were also keeping HIM OUT. Hopefully the resistance cell's inside man would come on duty soon... but then, the Emperor had been cracking down on his own forces as well recently, so there was no guarantee he had not been caught and executed as so many others had.

He had been relying on his inconspicuousness to get inside the walls, but with the city on lockdown that was unlikely. Honestly, his ragged, patched lumberjack's clothes wouldn't be entirely out of place on a real lumberjack even without how things had become, and the improvised handle on his axe looked like the do-it-yourself repair job of a man who couldn't afford a new one- which wasn't entirely uncommon in Pohja these days.

Hmm... if he tried to force his way in he could probably take one of them down by surprise, assuming they didn't decide to kill on sight rather than warn him off. However, that still left all the other guards in the city, and there would still be another guard capable of sounding the alarm if he tried that... Bad idea. How to do this...?

Time was of the essence. He had to get in, find the mage he had been assigned to retrieve, and get out, TODAY.

Honestly, what was this country coming to when the bandits were protecting the citizens from the military? That was just backwards...

Alvis jerked awake at the pounding on the door to his squalid room, scrambling to pick up his fire tome until a voice sounded through the door saying: "Your rent runs out today! Pay for another day or get out!". "Charming as always." Alvis growled in a low tone, raising his voice he shouted back. "I'm leaving today!" "You'd better and don't you try and loiter in the common room tonight!" With that the innkeeper stomped off down the hall.

Alvis huffed out his breath and lay back for a full minute silently berating himself for nearly incinerating the door before rolling upright and shoving his feet into his boots, looking over the dirty, tiny room he thought I hardly care if I get caught or not as long as I don't end up back here. Throwing on his travel worn coat he patted the inside pocket containing his gold, belted on his rapier and slipped his "prayer book" into an accessible pocket.

Marching wearily down the stairs into the inn's common room and froze as he saw three soldiers talking to the innkeeper. As the four men turned to face him Alvis quickly shoved his hands in his pockets and laying his right hand on his tome.

"Yeah that's him." The innkeeper said pointing straight at Alvis. "Looks just like the poster." I got on a poster? I'm not supposed to be a little proud of that am I? "Stay right there!" The apparent leader of the soldiers barked. "You're under arrest for the murder of an officer of the Pohjan military."

"Shite, that guy was an officer? All I knew was that he drew a weapon on me when I refused to donate to the "glorious cause" which apparently was getting him even more drunk. Say where are the others hiding?"

The soldiers displayed a small selection of amused and mildly surprised expressions and one of the men asked: "You think three isn't enough?" "Well if I went for my sword I'd almost certainly get you with one thrust." Alvis replies pointing at the leftmost soldier. "That limp in your right leg would make it nearly impossible for you to dodge."

The soldiers glanced at each other in confusion, usually they'd started begging, offering bribes or simply running at this point.

Alvis chuckled loudly. "Alright you have no idea what you're dealing with so I'll just do this and be on my way." Yanking his tome out of his pocket he raised his left hand and shot a small fireball straight at the lead soldier's face.

Three things happened at once: the innkeeper ran behind the bar and hid, the soldier with the limp screamed "MAGE!!" and the fireball struck the leader dead on and set his beard and hair on fire. Alvis turned shot out the nearest window following the broken panes out into the street as the remaining soldier snapped out of his shock and tried to put his companion's face out.

After sprinting through side streets for half a mile Alvis finally slowed his stride and stopped to get his breath back. "Damn this miracle escape plan had better work out."

Calais ran around another corner, wondering if the officer had seen her. She stuck her head around the corner, but the he did not seem like he had seen her. That was a close one, She thought. She breathed a sigh of relief, tying her hair into a ponytail behind her head.Now, if only i could find a way out of Pellam...she thought, turning around, only to find herself looking directly at another officer, Leopold. She jumped at first, then, realizing that her surprise was most likely suspicious, decided now would be a great time to start sucking up to him as much as humanly possible. "Why, hello officer! Do you need anything, sir?" He didn't seem to be buying it. "I'd simply like to know what a harmless civilian like yourself would be doing slinking around back alleys in mage robes." Calais swallowed. This was not going well. "Clothing has become mighty expensive these days, Officer Leopold, so I... had to take them...from an abandoned mage academy." Leopold sneered. "Would you not say," Leopold drawled, "That your plundering of the mage robes you are wearing...counts as theft?"

Her eyes widened in mock alarm. It was time to play into his theatrics and hope for the best. "Oh no, sir, please!" she begged, "Please don't arrest me! I've got a family at home! A poor old widowed mother, and two younger brothers, sir, hardly old enough to work! Please, have mercy! " He grimaced, pretending to be agonized by the decision. "So sorry, miss, but... Emperor's orders. Come quietly, and my friends and I won't have to...hurt you." Calais took a deep breath. Time to enact the much riskier backup plan. "Of course, sir. but if I may just pick this up..." she turned and pretended to start kneeling to pick something up, then darted around the corner. Now would be a great time to find some of those groups of escapees and leave this whole nightmare in her dust.

edited 15th Dec '14 7:18:21 PM by dancingqueen17

A tall thin man in a grey coat walked down the street in the slums of Pellam, accompanied by two officers, spears in their hands. The sight would not be an abnormal one. Arrests for the most trivial of things was common nowadays. Not quite as common as summary execution, but still a common one. There was one thing that made this truly a bizarre scenario.

The man in the coat was none other than Elsid, Carrier of the Gods' Blades and one of the members of the Twelve Grand Knights.

Now, he wasn't being arrested. Yet. But it would only be a matter of days, he believed, until the emperor grew tired of him. Once that happened, he'd spend the rest of his days in a cell under the palace if he was lucky. The more likely outcome would be that he'd find himself in the town square awaiting torture and execution by Officer Sting.

"It's not right, it's not right..." Elsid kept thinking to himself. When he dared to question the ethics of the emperor's new regime, he was demoted in all but name. Now he's merely a glorified officer, patrolling the streets, searching for anyone who had the misfortune of falling out of line. This was all out of spite. He was deliberately assigned the most morally bankrupt of duties. He still recalls the time the emperor sent him to arrest the students of a magic school. When they wouldn't comply, one of the officers sent with him burnt the school down with all the students inside.

This is where he draws the line.

The entire reason he accepted his position was to better protect and serve the people of Pohja. For a while, that worked out nicely. Of course, when the emperor went stark raving mad, that wasn't much of an option anymore. He'd do many things for Pohja and Agathius. Killing a kid and her only family? Not one of them.

The incident with the magic school was horrible, but that was Officer Lyle's doing. Now, the emperor had sent him personally to kill a young girl simply for her relation to a traitorous soldier. He wanted to warn them. He wanted to desert and perhaps join up with Sir Cadmus and Lady Farad, wherever they were. He wanted to do something in order to avoid doing this. Of course, having Officers Lyle and Erik standing over him would make abandoning this task somewhat difficult.

"Strange," he thought to himself. "These two used to answer to me."

The abandoned house that Selene and Diana were hiding out in came into view, and Elsid's heart sank deeper and deeper. He didn't know Selene very well. He wasn't her commanding officer. But he had heard her story, and he most certainly knew that this was wrong.

As he approached the door, he thought once more about bolting. No one in the city was a match for his sword.

"But what would happen to Eliza?"

He shuddered as he thought of what the emperor would do to his eight-year old daughter if he betrayed Pohja.

When he snapped back to reality, Officer Erik was about to break the door down and charge in.

"No," said Elsid. Officer Erik, surprised that his normally taciturn commanding officer had spoken, stopped in his tracks.

"I'll handle this," he continued. He gently opened the door.

"Lady Selene. I believe you know why we are here."

As Erik and Lyle prepared himself, Elsid's hand touched the hilt of the silver blade sitting within his scabbard before moving away.

"I will not fight. If will not fight. Let Lyle and Erik handle it. I will not fight..."

Selene heard the heavy steps approaching from beyond the door... her keen eyes had seen the approaching soldiers. She had moved quickly... to have Diana pack their stuff, which was mostly already packed and move back to the other room, only peeking through the door. Selene told her where to go next... and so when the soldiers opened the door, the young swordswoman stood on the middle of the room, blade in its scabbard held in one hand.

"Not really, Sir" she says, emphasizing the title as they taught her in her training... all to give Diana more time to open the door at the back and start her escape "What do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Elsid took a few steps into the house, looking directly at Selene. He hoped that he could reason with her. If she'd just come quietly, maybe this all could be avoided. Even if that were not the case, he didn't believe that any criminal should face punishment without knowing what they were charged with.

"Lady Selene," he began, "you are guilty of the crime of desertion. This is a grave crime in and of itself, but the fact that you accepted your position in exchange for acquittal of the offences surrounding your involvement with the Rosen Gang several years back has increased the severity of the offense manyfold."

Lyle and Erik. still standing at the door, began looking impatient. Elsid never recalled them being this eager to start fights. Was the emperor's new regime having a bad influence on them or were they always like this?

"The penalty for such offences is summary execution," he said. "Your sister will be taken into the custody of the state for her considerable aptitude in the arcane arts. Should she fail to comply, she will face execution as well."

Every last one of his sentences was dripping with sadness, especially the last one. Never in his entire life did he think he would every have to say such horrible things. The very knowledge that those words had actually escaped his lips made him feel as though part of his soul had withered away and died.

"That being said, I am not unsympathetic to your plight," he said. Lyle and Erik merely looked at each other in confusion.

"You are very fortunate that I was assigned your case. I do not believe that we have been properly introduced. My name is Elsid, and I am one of the Twelve Grand Knights. Though my relationship with my lord has become somewhat...strained as of late, there is no doubt in my mind that I can persuade him to lighten your sentence so long as you and your sister cooperate."

Elsid walked closer still to Selene and extended his right hand.

"So...What do you say?" he said with a desperate look in his eyes.

Officer Sting didn't know where he was. He'd wandered from his post only twenty minutes ago, and he'd somehow found himself completely lost in the lower quarters. If he didn't make it back soon, he might be arrested for abandoning his post. He didn't care, however. He didn't care much about anything anymore. Besides, even if Officer Leopold had ran off in pursuit of some mage, Officer Loeb was more than capable of carrying out executions by himself. That was a fact that Sting knew all too well.

In the past, Sting had taken a small amount of pleasure in his role as an executioner. Was it morbid? Absolutely. Nonetheless, he was serving his country, and somebody had to do the job. Further, Sting had always been a man eager to advance in his career. A better job meant more respect and more money for his family. A willingness to perform one of the most horrific jobs in the empire was certain to draw the attention of senior officers. As it turned out, Sting was correct. Senior Officer Mudgett admired his dedication, and Sting was promoted to High Officer of Public Discipline.

Sting wasn't able to enjoy his promotion for long, however.

Sting had remained untouched by the emperor's newfound madness for the longest time. Be a good officer, and no one would pay you any mind, right? Well, Sting was partially right. He was not affected personally. His family couldn't say the same. As he was calling off the names of the next people in line to be executed, he found to his horror that the names belonged to his sister, his wife, his sons, and his elderly mother. They had attempted to escape the city the previous night as he lay asleep without care. He had a moment to ponder why they'd tried to leave him behind, but the answer was very clear: they were ashamed of him. They were afraid of him and what he'd become in the name of advancing his own career. Before he had a chance to say a word, Officer Loeb cut all of them down with his killer ax with his trademark smile of sadistic glee.

After that day, Sting changed. It was as though something had broken inside of his heart, mind, and soul. He'd died along with his family that day. He was no longer a man; he was a moving corpse operating on programmed instructions, incapable of any normal emotion,

Suddenly, he happened across an alleyway where he saw a few guards chasing a person who looked like neither a man nor a woman. He/she was dressed like a merchant and carrying substantial quantities of supplies. He/she was probably planning to escape the city. Simply out of reflex, Sting blocked the exit of the alley to prevent him/her from escaping.

"In the name of the empire, I order you to stop," he said in his empty, bored, disinterested voice.

Luka had been yelling taunts at the decidedly less athletic guards chasing after them. They vaulted over carts and empty stalls, slowing down only to let their pursuers catch up. Sticking their tongue out, they switched to insults to bait their pursuers. Turning their head forward to see where they were going, Luka had less than a second to see what blocked their path. What happened next was basically punishment for their cockiness.

"Son of a-!" they yelled out, their voice interrupted by slamming directly into Officer Sting.

Well, the time for fleeing was over. There was no way to escape now, unless they were an assassin or something.

Luka vaulted up athletically. They threw open their cloak and tore off the decorative robe below it, which had served to conceal the armor beneath. Taking sword in hand, they stood their ground.

"I'll stop for now, but I'll be going through anyway! I'm getting myself out of this hellhole! No good business around here anyway."

edited 16th Dec '14 1:35:08 PM by amporiusrex

Sting stared at the merchant for a moments. The guards behind him/her were fast approaching.

"Stand down," Sting said.

The guards in pursuit stopped dead in their tracks.

"Uh, sir..." one began, only to be interrupted.

"Stand. Down. Leave us!" Sting said angrily.

It was a rare day that Sting even raised his voice. The fact that he actually expressed not only anger but raw fury towards the guards led them to turn around immediately a run as though they were the ones being pursued. When they were out of sight, Sting moved closer to the merchant of ambiguous gender.

"You plan to leave, do you not?" asked Sting with a bit of sympathy in his voice? Sympathy? From Sting? It was as though a small part of him returned to life. Why? Perhaps would-be escapees remind him of his family. It's impossible to say.

"Foolish," Sting said, returning to his typical emotionless state, "I should strike you down now. Would be a kinder death than what you'd get for trying to escape."

Sting paused for a moment.

"But you're not going to listen to me. Very well."

Sting withdrew a steel blade of impressive length and breadth from his scabbard and held it at his side.

"There is another merchant not far from here. On the run from us, like you. Wanting to leave, like you. If you wish to escape, you'll need him. Among others."

Sting pointed the blade at the merchant before him.

"We fight like men. You lose, you die. You win, I tell you where he is."

Sting swung the blade as hard as he could at the merchant. Deep in what remained of his soul, he hoped that he/she would be the one to finally put an end to his misery.

"You remind me a little of my commanding officer... Captain Leyland" says Selene, a melancholic smile on her face as her memory goes back to the stern but fair man that had offered her a hard earned chance at redemption "If there were more men like you, perhaps this Empire wouldn't be headed to such a dark path"

"I refuse. If I go with you I'll be locked in jail instead of executed. However, no matter what, you'll take my sister, an innocent girl and try to turn her into a weapon merely because she has an aptitude for the magical arts. One she has never tried to use to hurt anyone. You'd throw her into a battlefield to deal death to others" At those words, Selene's eyes became sharp a glare of pure denial to that horrible possibility. Slowly she slid her old, bloody blade from its scabbard... the Killing Edge "I'll gladly bathe myself in the blood of the entire Empire in order to stop that from happening. Come if you dare be the first ones"

With those words, Selene settled herself into a battle posture, ready to move with deadly precision into whatever comes her way. And all the while knowing her sister was already moving to the location of the gathering, their best chance to escape the city.

Luka smiled. Good, an idealist. Those were easy to fight.

"I'll fight however I want!" they yelled out, hitting the sword in it's direction of motion, then shoving Sting and taking off again.

Luka ran with sword in hand, with the intent of taking Sting out in a less-than-honorable manner.

Come on... follow...

And if he didn't, Luka would probably have to turn around and force the information out of the guy by the sword. They didn't really want to do that. The guys earlier had it coming; this guy was nobody to them.

Luka was quite unaware of how much blood stained this man's hands. Never one for spectacle or for the morbid curiosity of the daily kill-lists, Luka only knew the number of dead, not those slain or those who killed.

Elsid stood there quietly for a moment as Selene readied her stance. He had tried. He really had tried.

"I would ask you if there was anything that I could say that would change your mind. I would beg you to reconsider. But I can see that your mind is already set," he said, sadness in his voice.

"I am not unsympathetic to your plight. Like you, there is someone in my life that I would do anything for. She is the only reason I am here today."

Elsid turned around and walked towards the entrance, standing behind his two officers.

"For what it's worth, I truly admire your conviction and dedication to your sister. She is very fortunate indeed to have you."

Elsid looked down. It looked as though he was holding back tears.

"I can only offer my deepest apologies to you and your sister. There's nothing else I can do."

There was a silence for a moment.

"Officer Lyle. Officer Erik. Do what you must."

The two officers smiled as they raised their lances and charged at Selene.

"Eliza...Please find it in your heart to forgive for father," Elsid thought as he stood at the doorway, watching his subordinates fight the poor woman.

Sting glared at the merchant for a moment.

"Unwise of you to do that, knave," he said.

Suddenly, Sting charged towards the merchant. One would not think that a heavily armored man as big as Sting would be able to move so quickly, but incredibly, he could. So quickly, in fact, that the caught of with the merchant in only a matter of seconds. He immediately resumed swinging the heavy two-handed blade with all of his might. Despite his speed and the narrowness of the alleyway their fight was taking place in, the merchant dodged stings attacks without fail. For another brief moment, a piece of Sting came back to life. The spectacle was enough to ignite Sting's curiosity for the first time in a long while.

"How does this person dodge my blade with such ease? Did they receive special training? Or are they just naturally fast?"

Eventually, Sting managed to nick the merchant's right thigh with the tip of his blade. Not a particularly nasty wound; certainly not enough to kill him/her. Probably not even enough to halt his/her escape. But maybe, just maybe, enough to slow him/her down.

Malsch continued pondering the issue of infiltrating the city. Scaling the wall was completely out of the question- aside from him not being very good at climbing, the guards were most likely on the watch for that sort of thing.

Hmm... maybe the lumber report excuse? ...No, one of his friends warned him that he'd used that on the last expedition.

...What if he told them that he needed to buy a new axe so he could cut more wood? They might believe that, assuming he was correct in his assumptions of none of the witnesses of his crimes having escaped... of course, he was kind of low on cash at the moment, so if he used that he might have to steal one to avoid suspicion upon his return.

On the other hand, if it worked and he also managed to get a hold of the axe for his alibi his buddies would surely appreciate a new weapon; while they had learned to do minor repairs in order to get the most out of their steel, some of the heads were getting too worn down to recycle much longer.

All of which depended on the guards asking about his business in town before they decided to skewer him, of course. He wasn't all that sure about that one... quite a dilemma. Could he risk it?

How can a guy this huge move this fast?

Luka's acrobatic ability allowed for easier dodging, but Sting's greater experience led to the cut on their thigh. That certainly stung. It wasn't deep, but it was certainly painful.

They could patch themselves up later with their staff, but they'd need to not be attacked for that to happen.

Luka bounced back on their uninjured leg, sword at the ready. They had just been trying to find an opening before, but now a fight was necessary.

Their inherent ability Read, Skill: Lucky 7 kicked in, and Luka weaved through Sting's sword-strikes to get in closer with their decidedly shorter blade.

edited 16th Dec '14 4:53:51 PM by amporiusrex

It was never exceptionally uncommon to see one of the Twelve Grand Knights out in public. Emperor Agathius liked to keep in touch with his people, so it was only natural for the Twelve to do so as well. The only exception would be Sir Hermes; his job as Pohja's spymaster kept him forever busy and necessitated keeping a low profile. Now that Agathius has gone mad, many of the Twelve suddenly have a lot more free time on their hands, most notably Lady Oya.

Oya had two jobs: advise the emperor and lead the court mages. Well, Agathius had reassigned nearly all the court mages as battle mages and sent them to Chryso, and there's no point in advising an emperor who never listens to anyone. Sir Elsid spoke up, and now he's been assigned to do horrible things to innocent people. Sir Cosmas had spoken up, and no one's seen him since then. As such, Lady Oya now devotes her time to a practice more worthy of her time.

Slowly drinking herself to death.

One can only witness so much atrocity before one is driven to drink. Unfortunately, all the nice taverns have closed down in light of recent affairs. Instead of sipping strawberry wine in the Empress's Pearl on Marble Street, she was in a run-down inn located in the slums near the east wall drinking something a few steps below paint thinner. Whatever. Drunk is drunk.

She was wearing a drab brown robe that covered her entire body and face. These days, the mere sight of one of the Twelve is enough to clear the street. Also, she couldn't have one of the officers tattling on her to Agathius for "bringing dishonor upon her position" or some similar nonsense.

In the bar she overheard a merchant discussing current affairs with the owner.

"Probably another poor soul thinking of making an escape," she thought, "Would be a shame if Teucer had to turn him into a human pincushion as he scales the wall."

Regardless of whether or not he was going to escape, it was none of her affair. Let the officers take care of him. In any case, may as well make an attempt at conversation.

"Hello stranger," she said to Loren from beneath her hood, slurring slightly, "What's your story?"

Calais turned another corner, breathing heavily. Five minutes of outright sprinting, and Leopold was still hot on her heels. "Come on, girl. You can't run forever! And when you tire out..." The threat he left hanging was certainly not empty. Should he catch her, the best Calais could hope for now that she had openly "deserted duty" was a swift and painless death, and maybe not even that much.

She weighed her options. Attack would only dig her in deeper (summoning fire is not exactly what a sensible person would call "subtle"), She didn't have enough time to possibly outsmart him, and while running seemed to be working fine for her right now, she surely wouldn't be able to keep it up long enough to outrun or tire out her pursuer. Her only option was to try to slow him down.

Now, as opposed to her past strategy of running like a bat out of hell, Calais created as many obstacles as she could,tipping over stacks of crates and sending barrels rolling after her. If she could just manage to get out of his eyeshot, she could probably hide well enough to escape him.

It took another few minutes of flipping anything big enough to create an obstacle, but she finally managed to give him the slip. She was at a three way intersection, and around one corner, she tipped some crates to mislead him. She then dashed back around to the other end of the intersection, hid behind several barrels, and tried to quiet her breathing, coming now in gasps.

Leopold ran into the intersection. Calais held her breath as he saw the crates and climbed over them, not bothering to inspect the barrels for hiding mages.

After she was sure he was gone, she let her breath go. She couldn't afford another close call like that, especially in the state she was in. Now would be a good time to attempt escape, She thought, rising to her feet, but how?

Taking a bloodstained cloak off of the ground and pulling it on with the reasoning that the owner would not be likely to need it now, she warily exited the alley and entered a seedy looking inn and tavern nearby, likely the only one in Pellam still doing business. Right now what I need is rest, She thought, and a suspicious looking place to rest is better than no place to rest at all.

edited 16th Dec '14 6:17:30 PM by dancingqueen17

Two on one. Plus they were wielding spears against her shorter range blade. To a sword user, definitely not an advantageous fight.

Very well, bring it on Thought the young woman as she started to move... running and angling herself as quickly as she could to the right... to put one of the soldiers between her and his companion. She then attacked the first soldier with all her might, with all her speed, begging and aiming for a quick kill or incapacitation.

On the night he decided to escape from the Imperial encampment, Darren had a foresight of how tough things would become for him. As he left his plate armor aside inside his tent, so it would not hinder him on his escape, and picked up his steel sword, he thought about the possibilities from that outcome: If he was caught, the commanding officer would surely make an example of him to disencourage desertions and earn obedience through fear. But if he managed to flee, he'd be hunted down by the Empire as a criminal, with a proper bounty placed on his head and caricatures of him pinned in every board along with that of other deserters. The chances of waking up with a black hooded assassin on his side holding a dagger were only smaller than the chances of said assassin just killing him before he could wake up. That, or traveling mercenaries who usually stay at inns looking for employers and jobs would recognize his face and engage with him on the spot. Same about the guards, though they'd most likely try to arrest him first, and make a public execution for show.

Last but not least, his thoughts reminded him of his family. His father was hardly influencial as a noble and there was a chance that the Emperor would miss such a lowly baron from some far away and underdevelopped location, but who knows? Worse yet, his older brother was on the military, and chances were that they would notice their relationship. If they decided to punish his family for his desertion... for his own reckless, selfish attitude... Not to mention the permanent stain on his family's honor brought by his rebellion. What would his family think of him when they learn about this ordeal? Knowing his own father, who would surely exchange his own honor for titles and prestige, he'd reprimand Darren for giving up on his title as a knight and his future as a soldier. "This is probably not what you wanted for me, father, but I have no choice. I mustn't be an accomplice of this madness. My honor as a knight is more important than my title".

He adjusted his grey hood and walked toward the exit, only to take a glance back and stare at his armor, and for a moment the yellow candle light tricked his eyes into seeing it as golden. There was still time to return... attain fame and glory in the battlefield for his services to the emperor and be rewarded accordingly for his work. He did not need to do this. He did not need to risk the lives of his family, nor his own, or give up on his career. He had nothing to lose from following orders and swearing unconditionable allegiance, and a lot to lose from rebelling against the greatest power on the continent. Why should he care about the lives he is told to reap? Lives are cheap and ephemerous... And he should prioritize his and his family's lives, no matter what, because that is his duty as a son and brother. The ex-soldier dismissed that thought and left. "No can do. My honor is unbargainable"

Darren saw that most tents had no light inside, which was good. Yet that also meant that the night shift had begun, and a dozen guards could be seen patrolling or protecting supplies, each holding an imposing halberd in their hands while wearing plate armors of the same kind of the one he had left. He sneaked past the guards through the corners, the shadows successfully hid his body as the they passed infront of him without ever stopping to look to their sides.

The encampment was surrounded by improvised wood palisades, and escape was only possible through two exits. The southern exit led to Chryso, and doomed as it was, he found it unwise to flee to there. The northern exit, the one leading to Pohja, was also guarded by two guards who were, luckily for him, more alarmed about the outside than about the inside. Even so, Darren knew he could not skip past them... under usual methods. He ran toward the improvised stables, then approached the horses slowly and carefully lest they announced his presence to the guards. He recognized his own, who watched him as he hurried to free the pack, seemingly with curious eyes. "I know, buddy, I am insane. Even a horse knows better".

As he freed one by one from their ropes, the pack became more aprehensible. Darren hurried to free the tenth horse from his rope... And that was when one of the horses bolted through the improvised stables and warned every other guard about his intentions. The others did the same after a short period, and he barely managed to stop his own mount from escaping before him. "You're with me in this", he said as he mounted on his horse and left together with the pack. The encampment was in a state of chaos, with horses running toward literally every side one could think of.

Darren bolted toward the northern exit, using the confusion as an opportunity to flee. He let out a war cry, drew his steel sword and charged in the direction of the last remaining guard in the northern exit, who decided it was best to get out of the way instead of letting himself be thrown away as a ragdoll - a fate he managed to avoid by running to his side desperately, releasing his grip on his halberd by accident. "Craven cur, you could've dropped me right there! Anyway, farewell!"

Darren did not know where he was going, nor what he was going to do after. For now, all that mattered was to find somewhere safe - if such a place existed. Only then would he figure out what to do next. "At least it will take some time until I am officially declared a traitor", he thought. The next day, he reached the closest village to the Pohjan border. When questioned by the innkeeper, he said he was a mercenary looking for work in the capital, for he had heard the emperor would pay a good sum to whoever lend him their swords. They seemed to believe it, for the time being... And even better, offered gold in exchange for services, treating him like a proper mercenary.

The innkeeper told him they've been having trouble with brigands pillaging, invading and doing whatever they'd please, and when Darren asked about the guards, he learned there was now little difference between brigands and guards, such that sellswords were more trustworthy than lawkeepers. Thus he chose to live down that lie and work for money, as a way to pay for his expenses and make his own story convincing enough.

And in the next morning he knew his ruse had ended. He saw through his window when a group of five soldiers clad in imperial plate armor approached the inn, when their horses indirectly warned Darren about their arrival.

edited 17th Dec '14 8:14:00 AM by Rapier

The merchant's attack did more damage that he/she probably thought it would. Despite the shortness of his/her blade compared to Sting's, he/she was able to get a fairly strong slash across Sting's left arm. Not only that, he/she had managed to hit a very strategic piece of his armor. The result was a grievous wound. Fatal? No. Painful? Excruciating, but Sting's numbness to the world did wonders for his pain tolerance. Sting dropped his steel blade to the ground; it was far too large to wield with only one good arm. A thought briefly occurred to Sting. Either he was facing someone far more than a simple merchant or that the person before him was a simple merchant who just so happened to be the luckiest fool in Pellam.

In either case, Sting had no intention of letting his would slow him down. He drew his sidearm, a humble iron sword. Not nearly as strong or as long as his primary weapon, but it'd have to do. He closed the distance between himself and the merchant and resumed fighting him/her. The fight continued, but now it was Sting who was at a disadvantage. If he slipped again, he would be at his/her mercy.

"Good," Sting thought, "Someone might finally put me to rest."

Officer Erik didn't have time to appreciate Selene's skill with a sword. Despite his weapon's advantage over hers, as single slash felled him before he could so much as attempt to strike her. Upon seeing this sight of his comrade with his stomach split open, lying on the ground, Lyle halted his charge. Now it was down to him and her.

As a general rule, Officers do not expect to deal with people who can cut them down without so much as a fight. Normally, things are slanted in favor of the officers. The fact that he was now staring directly in the eyes of a swordswoman of such skill was enough for his sense of self-preservation to override his sense of duty. He didn't get paid enough to deal with people like this.

Elsid was stoically watching from the door. He felt a small amount of morbid pleasure in watching his subordinates death. Yes, it was an awful, awful thing to delight in the death of another human being. Officer Erik had friends and family who would never see him again. That said, to say Erik was not a nice man would be an understatement. When Agathius made his move, Erik abused the new powers afforded to people in his position every time that he had the chance to do so. He confiscated property from civilians with no justification and sold them on the black market, he killed individuals who had slighted him the past because they were "suspicious," and performed many other vile deeds. In terms of wickedness, there were only a few people in Pohja could best him.

One of those people was Officer Lyle, who had dropped his lance and began running towards the door. A wonderful yet awful idea occurred to Elsid as the officer ran towards him.

Elsid drew his silver sword and pointed it directly at Lyle, who stopped dead in his tracks. The tip of the blade was less than an inch away from his neck.

"Surely you are not planning on leaving, Officer Lyle," said Elsid, "I do recall you saying how you hated deserters."

Lyle made sounds as though he was attempting to say something. It's hard to articulate yourself when you're between two swordmasters calling for your blood.

"Whatever is the matter, Officer Lyle?" Elsid asked.

"Well, uh, Sir Elsid, Sir," Lyle stammered out, "She's clearly to dangerous for just me to handle, I was just going to call for reinforcements. Yes, that's it!"

Elsid advanced, forcing Lyle further and further back into the house. The subordinate officer's anxiety grew greater and greater.

"No, I believe you're lying," said Elsid, a tinge of anger entering his voice, "You're accustomed to feeling powerful. Slaughtering children on the street, raiding stores, torturing women in their own homes, burning down schools...it makes you feel in charge."

Elsid took the edge of the blade and ran it gently down the side of Lyle's neck, drawing blood.

"But as soon as you're faced with someone stronger than you, you flee like the coward you are."

At this point, all that Lyle's mouth could produce was a series of terrified squeaks.

"I'm rather insulted. How long have you worked under me? You think that you're the powerful one? Allow me to demonstrate otherwise."

In the blink of an eye, Elsid swung his blade horizontally, decapitating his subordinate. As he watched the head roll across the floor, the gears began turning in his head.

"When we arrived, you and your sister were nowhere to be found," he said as he narrated the story that he had concocted in his head.

"We searched the entire house, but there was not a trace of you two. I turned and headed towards the door to leave, but Officer Lyle and Officer Erik were loitering around, taking their time. I heard a commotion as I was about to exit. I rushed to them, but they had drawn their blades and killed each other. They were fighting over a gem they had found in the corner."

Upon completing that sentence, he touch a red gem from his pouch and placed it near the two corpses.

"Tragic, Emperor Agathius. But I can hardly be blamed for what transpired."

Upon the completion of his narration, he sheathed his bloodied sword. He approached Selene once more.

"Apologies for the hassle, Lady Selene. Is their anything I can help you with?"