Illidan nodded to Alathir, grateful that his promise was accepted.
"We can only hope that this path will be followed more often in the future, hope is a good thing to have."
He refrained himself from verbally attacking Nahaz who gave a large blow in the group's morale. Illidan would prove him wrong in a different way, by showing him that Leon and the girl would survive.
As Leon waved him forward smiled slightly to Emma. So young and so important. Illidan felt a bit sorry for the girl, she wouldn't have the chance at a normal childhood because of it. Always in need of protection, always in danger, Illidan would do what he could to make it as pleasant as possible.
"Welcome to our little group Emma, I'll make it as pleasant as I can for you and keep the bad people away." He said smiling, not showing any concern or worry in his voice or face.
It was pointless to scare the girl with stories about Undead and mysterious followers lurking in the shadows. Nahaz would probably do that anyway.
He heard Alathir and Nalir's side of this and was interested, a lot of people were entangled with the fate of the girl and it worried him, if so many on the side of light had visions about her then many forces of dark would so too.
When the wood elf entered to return a lost blade to Aranel he pondered.
"There must be a tidal wave of emotions coming over him now, I hope he can keep them in control." He thought.
As they left he took one last look at the council and bowed. Somewhere in his mind he thought this wouldn't be the last time he would meet the wood elves.
As he heard Leon's words he nodded and walked after him until something dirstracted him. Up in the trees he something quickly passing by and it reminded him of a ghost or spectre. Thinking it was another Undead threat he unsheathed his sword and watched the spectral form. Seeing that the wood elves welcomed it he slowly sheathed his sword and listened. He couldn't completely understand these wood elves but he could catch some basics.
"Galadaeg has fallen in battle and returned to us." Is what he could understand out of it. It was strange for him to see someone that died in battle so clear in front of him.
Seeing he fell behind a little with the rest of the group he increased his pace and catched up with them.
OOC: Yay for references to other RP's.
[size=75]Illidan:I can't do anything about it! It's a proven fact that men think of sex at least every 20 seconds. >_>
Mel'Reyna: hehe
Mel'Reyna:i only think about it every 21 seconds
Mel'Reyna: :D[/size]
Shaking his head at the words of the rest of the group, Nahaz nevertheless held his silence. Let them convince themselves that they would all survive. The assassin still doubted it.
He took one last look around the glade they were in, and began to follow the group. He heard a faint rustle, and the Elves were gone. He shook his head again, and leapt lightly down from the trees.
--------------------
As the small group moved down the path, Nahaz actually spoke up for the first time.
'How do you intend to return to the castle? Through Brettonia, or by the sea lanes as before? I would not recommend the sea again - it would be too easy for some misfortune, such as sinking, to waste all our lives.' Nahaz didn't voice his real thoughts, that the girl could fall and drown.
'I would recommend we stop again at Perrache and finding horses to take us to your castle. I do not think returning the same way is a good idea.'
Nahaz remained at the back of the group, still keeping a wary eye on the surrounding forest.
'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.'
"I agree with Nahaz... It would be much better to take the land route this time around, they may already have gotten more dark elf fleets waiting for revenge on our return.." Nikoli spoke..
He thought about the idea of horses but something about it bothered him..
"I think it wouldbe best to creep in the night... It will be better for us against our foes if they do not know our were abouts... Although they may be listening in on us now so nothing is certain.... "
Dasim bowed to the elves and quickly followed the others out. He was surprised to feel a bit disappointed. He still found the elves to be unsettling, but his scholarly side made him curious... he took one last look around, noting the structures and the people of the city, he could take notes later.
Walking over to the girl, he knelt, fixing her with his gaze, he pulled away the cloth covering his face and offered her a smile. "You are the one then... Emma. I am Dasim... and do not listen to the Brettonian, they are the strange looking ones, not me." He grinned.
From his robes, he selected a charm shaped like the sun and handed it to the girl. "Keep this with you, it can't hurt to have the protection of more than just one god on this journey."
He nodded as Nahaz and Nikoli spoke. "A different path would be best, and perhaps avoiding Perrache as well."
[img]http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1459/lvl1.jpg[/img]
Setesh Akhen-Isfet, Commander of the Heralds of Oblivion
"Yeah, its better if the people there think that we died in the forest instead of returning with Emma. They could spread the word and the wrong people could hear it." Illidan said.
He refrained from adding "Although some already do." as he knew that the necromancer entered the forest for Leon.
"Its strange, Leon seems to be just as important for the necromancer as Emma is to us. If he was willing to follow us into Athel Loren for Leon then he must have quite some importance too that he doesn't know of. Maybe its the necromancer that will be Leon's death. I will guard him as much as the girl, especially around that necromancer." He thought to himself as he walked along.
[size=75]Illidan:I can't do anything about it! It's a proven fact that men think of sex at least every 20 seconds. >_>
Mel'Reyna: hehe
Mel'Reyna:i only think about it every 21 seconds
Mel'Reyna: :D[/size]
Nikoli turned to Illidian... "You are right it seems the necromancer does want Leon just as bad... I guess we should kill him before he gets a chance at leon!"
Mel braced herself for Leon's reaction as she unveiled the truth to him, expecting him to be quite furious, which would have been completely understandable after what she'd done. She could clearly tell that he was very disappointed in her, and for the first time since she'd met him, Mel could also see some subtle signs of anger on his face.
Surprisingly, instead of reprimanding her in any way, he simply forgave her without a single negative word, the last thing she ever expected him to do, leaving her speechless. She would have preferred to be punished, as she doubted that anything could make her feel any worse than being forgiven so easily for such a horrible deed.
Leon's kindness only served to highlight her own selfishness which she'd failed to cure herself of, despite promising to herself that she would change after her near death experience against the undead...where Leon had risked his life to save her. She almost wished that he hadn't, at least then she couldn't have betrayed him and all of the others, and she wouldn't feel like she didn't deserve to be alive.
Mel didn't even notice the elf who had brought her some new clothes, too focused on staring at the ground, terrified of looking up in case she'd lock eyes with the knight, afraid of what she might see. Before she could answer his question, the elf who'd spoken to them earlier arrived and ordered everyone to follow him, which they did.
As the party arrived in the council room, Mel stood as far from everyone else as she could, only listening partially to what was being discussed, lost in her own thoughts of self-loathing. One thing, however, instantly caught her attention. Her eyes widened in shock as Leon revealed to the elves that his death was certain before the end of his quest. Just as she'd thought that she couldn't feel any worse, her heart sank even lower as she heard the knight prophesize his own unnavoidable doom. Normally, she would never have believed in fate or the ability to see one's future through visions or any other means, but everything else Leon had seemed to be very real. The girl was real, the evil forces pursuing them were all too real, and the fact that everyone had somehow been at the DeLonse castle at the same time, right as the knight was about to leave on his quest, seemed like much more than a mere coincidence.
Mel hoped that he was lying to the elves, but knowing him, the chances of that were quite slim. First, her looks had been taken away from her, and now that she'd finally found someone other than herself who she actually started caring about, she found out that he was going to be stolen from her as well. Before Mel could finish processing what she'd just heard, the elves suddenly handed over the girl that the party had been searching for up until now.
Looking at Emma for the first time, Mel already resented her greatly, seeing her as the cause of all of her own problems. If it hadn't been for her, she would still be living her old life without her cursed mask, and she wouldn't have to suffer the pain of losing somebody that she cared about. She could have continued living without a care, but this little kid had to ruin everything.
She shook her head as she realized just how selfish she was being once again, which was the real reason that she'd gotten into this mess in the first place. Her troubles were nothing compared to what Leon was facing, and who knew what this poor girl still had ahead of her. Mel knew that Izlude had just been toying with them so far, it was obvious that he could do much worse than raise a few zombies to stand in their way. He was probably waiting for Leon to lead him to Emma, which meant that things would only get worse from this point on, and that girl was at the middle of it all. Her own brief encouters with Izlude had terrified her, and she shuddered at the thought of what Emma would have to endure if that man got his hands on her. Her resentment quickly turned to empathy, something which she hadn't felt in quite a long time, bringing back old memories and reminding her that she hadn't always been this way.
Mel had to admit that this "test" or whatever it was that she'd been sent on was rather effective. For a long time she'd had basically no conscience and only one goal, which was to satisfy her own needs at any cost, regardless of the harm she was doing to others. Leon's quest had finally given her some conviction in something other than personal gain, which in a way was refreshing, despite everything that had happened on the way. She actually began trying to understand the purpose of her mask and her own "quest" parallel to Leon's instead of spending all of her time regretting the situation that she'd been forced into. It seemed that while the knight's mission was to find Emma and protect her, Mel would have to find her true self on the way in addition to helping him with his task. Hopefully she would survive long enough to succeed, or even better that they both would. As she followed the party out of the wood elven village, she was finally ready to accept her task rather than run away from it as she'd almost done earlier. Her time to redeem herself had come.
As they walked, Mel whispered the necromancer's name to Leon, remembering his question from earlier on when they were interrupted. It was a difficult subject for her to bring up, as she was extremely ashamed of her actions, but she certainly owed him answers.
Illidan's eyes widened for a split second as he heard Mel say the the necromancer's name, it was too short for anyone to notice though and he walked on as normal. He had kept his ears focused on Mel and Leon for quite a while now as he was interested in the question that was left open.
"Izlude... I can put a name on him now. He has been a thorn in our side since I saw that wicked grin on his face back in Brionne when he turned that merchant. The merchant... the stone! Maybe Emma can do something with the stone!" Illidan thought and he became slightly enthusiastic.
"Leon, we still have that stone from back in Brionne right? Maybe Emma can find something hidden in it?" He said and he looked at Emma.
"Would you like to look at a magical stone we have?" He said with a warm smile.
[size=75]Illidan:I can't do anything about it! It's a proven fact that men think of sex at least every 20 seconds. >_>
Mel'Reyna: hehe
Mel'Reyna:i only think about it every 21 seconds
Mel'Reyna: :D[/size]
Nahaz whirled on the Dark Elf, with a look of pure disgust on his normally passive face.
"Listen to me, Elf," the assassin spat the last word, "You should stop listening on the conversations of others, they are not of your concern. Do not try and deny it, I have seen you, throughout this journey, prying where your race does not belong."
Nahaz turned to the rest of the group;
"And now, you have the girl attempt to decipher a stone that may have dark magic linked to it. I hardly think that wise. While I have no concern for myself against this Necromancer, you others, judging by you attitudes and performances, will be sorely pressed should he strike. And messing with dark magic will only speed the inevitable. You should think, before you speak, elf."
'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.'
OOC: Too short for anyone to notice kinda means that you do not notice it. I asked if I was allowed to hear the conversation between Mel and Cyris and they said it was okay. As I remarked in my post that no one noticed me and I haven't received a PM by you I will ignore the first part as you're kinda ruining something.
IC: Illidan felt quite annoyed at Nahaz.
"You may think yourself superior in skill and wisdom but if you push that arrogance further you'll find that you are quite wrong. If Dasim didn't find any trace of dark magic in the stone while he's from Araby and skilled with magic then I trust that it is safe.
And I am sure that you won't expect it like the rest of us when the necromancer decides to attack.
I do think before I speak and you should follow your own advice. Or is it perhaps a threat you're throwing with?"
Illidan said with slight amusement in his voice as he spoke the last sentence.
"I am not interested in fighting you, someone should dent your arrogance but that is not my task. I am here to protect Leon and Emma from harm and I will do that. I do not question your loyalty as this quest has called help from every corner.
And your profession may require you to trust and rely only on yourself but on a mission like this having trust in someone else is a strength too." Illidan continued.
Nahaz was being far too arrogant for his taste and someone had to draw a line. He just hoped Nahaz would realize this before he faced the necromancer, he didn't think so though.
"Nahaz will learn his lesson the hard way, his arrogance will be his downfall." he thought to himself.
He wouldn't want the assassin to be killed once they met Izlude but their was nothing he could do about it for now.
[size=75]Illidan:I can't do anything about it! It's a proven fact that men think of sex at least every 20 seconds. >_>
Mel'Reyna: hehe
Mel'Reyna:i only think about it every 21 seconds
Mel'Reyna: :D[/size]
"I would rather not risk the fate of this group in something that is not required at this moment in time. I am glad you feel it is safe but would you, who oh so often claims to be defending us, be willing to risk that it is not. Especially considering the events which transpired when we acquired it? I do not think so"
Nahaz turned away from the Dark Elf; "you claim my arrogance is unfounded. How many men have you killed Illidan? How many monsters, beasts and creatures of the night? I know you are young for you're race, and I do not think it to be that many. Are you hardened in the ways of the world - can you kill without mercy, hesitation or regret? Because until you can, you will never be as great a fighter as you could be."
"And as for trust, trust can indeed be a strength. But just as easily it can become a weakness. If you rely on others, they let you down, they betray you. It is not uncommon, Elf, and you would do well to heed my words."
'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.'
Leon could feel the tension rise as Nahaz made his concerns made, despite his anger he did have valid points – it would be foolish for the stone to unleash some dark magic and harm Emma just after having found her. This quest required the utmost care and Leon was prepared to be as patient as was required.
“Silence, both of you.” The knight did not want a fight to break out between the two as both had displayed exceptional skills in combat, if there was a fight one of them would surely end up dead and Leon needed all the help he could get.
“The stone could be nothing more than a mortuary relic from the desert lands or it could be something else. The Lady spoke to me of nothing about a stone so I am reluctant to place any faith in it, Illidan.”
He moved forward, addressing the whole group. “Illidan and Nahaz, settle your differences if you must, but not here, not in front of Emma. I agree with you all about changing our return route, if there are malignant forces that are tracking us then we would be foolish to retrace our steps. We will return to Castle deLonse by horse, let us make our way to Perrache now and acquire some steeds. Come...”
The knight began moving away; Mel hurried behind the knight and spoke the name that had tortured her so.
Leon’s eyes widened. The name repeating itself over and over in his mind.
Izlude.
It couldn’t be, the knight thought to himself. That was impossible.
Leon took Mel tightly by her shoulders. “Are you sure you heard right? You must be mistaken!” There was a sense of dread that filled the Bretonnian’s voice.
Releasing the girl, Leon stepped away from the group; he yelled a futile cry of anguish at the heavens.
Breathing heavily, the knight turned to face his companions whose expressions were filled with confusion.
He understood their questioning gaze, how could they know? They weren’t there... on that night.
Leon ran to his father’s side, gripping tightly the his family’s ancestral blade, barely able to hold the enormous sword straight. His childish grin beaming as his father looked on with a smile, proud of his youngest son and the man he would be one day become. He was barely ten years old but he still looked for ways to impress Cyris, ways to shine, he couldn’t know that he all needed to do was wake up each morning to shine in his father’s eyes, such was his love.
Leon’s brother, his senior by four years, was already learning to ride and was proving an able horsemen – he would surely make a good knight one day. Cyris was already a knight of the Grail, a chosen warrior of the Lady, a living saint in the eyes of the common folk – but on this night, he felt nothing but powerlessness, but in the presence of his sons, Cyris only smiled.
The Bretonnian couldn’t take it anymore. He stood, leaving his son with an attendant, and making his way to the stables where Cyris’ own father was already making preparations. Preparations for a journey of great danger.
He found his father where he thought he would, saddling his faithful steed.
“Father, don’t go. Let us confront this creature together.”
Leon’s grandfather didn’t seem to notice Cyris, he simply kept moving. “This is something I have to do, son. I don’t do this for me; I do it for you, for my grandsons, for my kingdom and for the Lady.”
Cyris felt his anger brimming to the fore. “This foe you go to slay, this vampire, by all reports he is a beast of extraordinary power, it is said he has already slain all knights who chose to oppose him. They say he took a lance in the chest and removed it like it was a twig.”
“Such is the power of a vampire, son. But I will succeed where others failed; my faith in the Lady is unshakeable.”
“Why go alone? Why not let me come with you, I can help.”
Cyris’ father looked at his son then. “No! This beast has defiled sacred land. Land that the Lady herself commanded that I protect, it is my responsibility.”
Cyris felt defeated. “Nothing I can say will stop you. I pray for your victory, father.”
Silence.
“I will take my leave, son. One of my greatest foes awaits and I shall not keep him. Songs will be sung of my victory this night, Cyris.” Leon’s grandfather smiled one of his rare smiles. “If I do not return, take care of your family. Raise your sons to be good knights.”
With that, he sped out of the stable, past the castle gates and into the heavy mist of the night.
All the while young Leon watched on, not fully understanding what had just transpired, but as he looked at his father’s face, Leon felt a great sadness overwhelm his young mind.
The Bretonnian let out a heavy breath.
“Izlude...”
The young knight struggled to say what needed to be said, as though voicing it would make it more real than it already was.
“His full name is Izlude deLonse. He is... He was my grandfather.”
[img]http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb266/Mel_Reyna/Cyris-sig.jpg[/img]
[i][size=75]If this is all a dream, don't wake me up.[/size][/i]
[quote]Now thats funny. Cyris, I knight you 'Sir Witty for the day'.[/quote]
Illidan wanted to react to Nahaz but he sighed as Leon interrupted them. He wasn't planning to battle Nahaz as Leon needed them both.
He then saw Leon moving forward hastily and he seemed desperate. Just as he was about to approach Leon he heard his cry. The name apparently familiar to him. He looked at Leon who remained silent for a few moments.
As Leon explained that Izlude was his grandfather Illidan sighed.
"Leon has suffered much in a life so short. Brother fallen in a crusade and his former grandfather hunting him. A vampire as our enemy will prove difficult, especially with Leon's tight bonds he has with family members. His faith will be tested then but he will not have to face it alone."
He approached Leon and he laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked him in they eyes and gave a slight nod.
There were no words that could be given to ease Leon's pain. So instead he showed him he was there for him and that he didn't have to face this alone.
it was a subtle sign he showed but he thought that Leon would understand it.
[size=75]Illidan:I can't do anything about it! It's a proven fact that men think of sex at least every 20 seconds. >_>
Mel'Reyna: hehe
Mel'Reyna:i only think about it every 21 seconds
Mel'Reyna: :D[/size]
Wolf fell back to his fierce brooding. He scratched his bearded chin. He approached Leon again, and tried to smile courageously to Emma, but his scarred face only managed to produce a slightly troublesome imitation of a grin. He regained his steady expression as turned to the bretonnian man.
"Are we heading to the castle as fast as we can?"
Wolf gazed to Illidan; even darkness turned light near Leon. He was amongst the best companions to be imagined, and this quest would not prove to be futile.
Last edited by Draknir Reaverblade on Wed May 28, 2008 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Is the castle really the place we want to go? Where his grandfather to this day may have loyal servants or spies? Right to a polutated area with many headstones of undead to be raised? Do we really want to go back to the castle? I vote we head out to sea, go far away, maybe Ulthuan-- The elfs land, but somewhere that the vampire can't follow us... Or if he does it will be a 1 vs.1.. well 1 vs. all of us..." Nikoli stated his idea to the group hoping they would give it consideration
"Slicing Vampires like the old days... O boy would the group have loved to be here, i'll make sure to get my share" Nikoli put out
Aranel held the blade in his hands, and memories flashed before him - The slaughter of his role-model; The pain it somehow relieved, knowing that the sword of his tutor was in his hands again - The right hands.
He remained wordless during the arguments, conversations and events that had unfolded, unknowing of whether it would be wise to say anything or not. Finally, he spoke upon the route.
"I agree that we should go on land; For if the Druchii were to catch up with us, and capture us, there would be no escape; at least on land, it would be easier to get assistance, aswell as fight on better terms."
Listening furhter to What Leon had to say, Aranel's eyes widened as Leon had announced that Izlude was indeed his grandfather.
Aranel nodded to Leon, and placed his sword into contact with leons and nodded.
"You still have my unwavering blade; Know that."
The High elf then turned to Nikoli.
"There will be no fleeing now; The greatest chapter of our tale is being penned; Surely you do not want bards everywhere singing of how we .. ran away from the challenge? That we did not rise up to it? I think not .."
He smiled defiantly. He was ready for what could be thrown at him; But this was even putting his Discipline as a Swordmaster of Hoeth to the test. What if he were to fail and Leon or Emma died?
Aranel erased such thoughts from his head.Now is not the time to thinkof the worst.We must do what we can for everyone.
"Rising up to a challenge and having the challenge rising up all around you is different my friend. You must comprehend what your opponents strengths and turn them into weaknesses." Nikoli spoke.
"What better songs will the bards sing if we switch places as the undead take ours in the real world and we take theirs in the grave? Until the Girl's power is 'awakened' or till we can find out the true power what point is there to march in with her in hand? We should find a safe, segregated area for a while till she can being to bring up the power she holds from within to help us... From the lack of information that we have been provided to this point i would prefer assuming that her powers are currently unactive (for lack of a better way to say it) she will just be a burden in battle as we all jump to her rescue leaving openings in our sides having us vulnerable." Nikoli continued on his pesimistic, although intelligant rant on what should and shouldn't be done.
Nikoli looked at the girl again, he at first didn't believe the Knight that they were only after a girl and that maybe she contained an artifact but in truth it is just a girl... Although the elves had also taken interest into her she has yet to display any form of true power that may or may not turn the tide against chaos around...
"I still vote the sea route...A meer ship full of Druchii is a much simple task then a swarm of Gurrilla warfare undead lead by a Necromancer/Brettonian Knight/ Vampire... Who knows if we can loot a ship we can travel upstream with a second ship or hire some mercenaries to distract any attacks toward us, giving us an upper hand. I vote the sea route ..." Nikoli was done speaking and went back to hear if the rest of the group had anything to add...
OOC: I figured i would go DOU still on the vote since we are discussing what route to go unless Leon has another planned course or another desicion deciding way to go about this..
"On another note if you see a bard sing sad tales about our Epic journey then by all means tear out his throat and feed it to the trolls for he has no need to speak if only such ill words of our tale will be spoken" Nikoli added with a chuckle
OOC: Umm... Leon didn't actually say anything about his grandfather being the vampire to the rest of the group, did he? Not sure if it matters...
Dasim shook his head. These were not matters to be discussed in front of a child, gifted or no. The path they took was unimportant, the gods would guide them to their destination if it was their will. Dasim decided he would keep an eye on Emma for the moment while they decided what to do. He smiled to her as they walked, attempting to distract her with a story. "Have you ever heard of Nehekhara? That is where I come from. Great monuments of stone, seas of sand..."
[img]http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1459/lvl1.jpg[/img]
Setesh Akhen-Isfet, Commander of the Heralds of Oblivion
Mel froze as Leon suddenly grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, wondering if she'd said something horribly wrong. She nodded quickly as he asked her a question, still confused as to what could elicit such a reaction from the knight, but somewhat relieved that he didn't seem upset at her in particular.
A few moment later, Leon made the shocking revelation that Izlude was in fact his grand father, which only made everything make even less sense. Judging by his appearance despite being Leon's grand father, it was clear that whatever he was, he was no ordinary man.
Mel also realized that it was now pretty obvious that she'd been the one who had told Leon about Izlude after the way he reacted, and she was quite afraid of what the others would think, or even worse what they would do if they knew exactly how she got the information.
“If he is alive now... that means...” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
“He’s a vampire. One of the undead.” The knight’s words were coated in pain; such a fate was extremely disturbing for Bretonnian knights – it destroyed their understanding of the natural world and their concept of heroic death in battle. Leon felt Illidan’s hand upon his shoulder; he simply kept on staring into the distance. He appreciated the elf’s attempt to ease his tortured soul but Leon felt so drowned in tragedy, it was difficult to see any light through such thick darkness.
The questing knight stood before the group, taking some comfort in the words of the Swordmaster. He spoke in terms Leon understood; of perserverance, of courage, of honour. “Aranel is right, we cannot falter now. No matter our opposition. Whether it is the blood of my family that must be spilled, I will destroy anyone who seeks to halt our success.” There was harshness in his voice that he had never heard. He knew then in that moment that a part of himself had died. One soul could only take so much.
Leon looked to Nikoli. “I appreciate your thoughts, friend. You have maintained a reassuring calm throughout this entire quest and I thank you for that stability but our destination will be my father’s castle. If there are indeed servants of my grandfather still there then I invite them to test my wrath.”
The knight then saw Dasim trying to comfort Emma through all of the discussion that had transpired and his already great respect for the desert man soared to new heights. Leon thanked whatever Arabyan gods had led Dasim to become the man he was today.
Leon turned to Wolfram, the eccentric witch hunter. “Indeed, my friend. We shall make for our castle as quickly as possible. Our enemy is a vampire, something I assume you have great experience in fighting. I will look to your expertise should we encounter my grandfa... our enemy.”
“Come; let us procure some horses at Perrache.”
As they walked, Leon made a prayer to the Lady, begging for the strength to see this journey through.
* * *
The return journey to the small village of Perrache was quick and uneventful, there was little in the way of conversation. From time to time some of the group would reassure Emma and trying to make her feel comfortable. They crested a hill; the village of Perrache would be on the other side.
But what waited for them was something no one had expected.
Before the entrance to Perrache stood a figure, cloaked in white, he had a solemn expression upon his cold face. Leon’s eyes widened with terror as he saw Izlude simply standing there, waiting.
“Grandfather...” The words slipped past his lips.
Izlude looked exactly as Leon remembered, but somewhat younger – surely the effects of feeding upon the blood of humans. He donned the white cloak-jacket Leon’s companions had spoken of. Beneath it he wore strange, black armour, alien in design, but there were hints of bretonnian design in it. Whatever smith Izlude had forced to make his armour was obviously told to make t look somewhat like the knight’s armour he used to wear so proudly. Surely Izlude did this to unnerve his prey.
What surrounded Izlude was far more unnerving though. Around the vampire was the entire village of Perrache, standing lifelessly. Their eyes were vacant, as though they were simply waiting. Izlude’s power was indeed formidable; he seemed to have taken control of all these innocent townspeople.
Emma was confused by the sight, before her were all the people who had raised her. The people who had taken care of her. It was then that she saw her adoptive parents. “Mother! Father!” She dashed forward, but Leon took hold of her.
Finally Izlude spoke. “Grandson...” He spoke the word mockingly. “You found the girl.”
Leon had no response; he had thought himself ready for this confrontation. In truth, the knight was not prepared.
The vampire-knight spoke again. “You’ve managed to band together quite the bunch of characters. All of them must have sworn some ridiculous oath to aid you in your quest – such frivolous bonds are the vows of mortals. I don’t suppose Mel has told you how close she came to betraying you all to me?” He laughed softly at that – it was not a joyous sound.
“Now, this is simple. Give me the girl or every man, woman and child from this village dies.”
[img]http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb266/Mel_Reyna/Cyris-sig.jpg[/img]
[i][size=75]If this is all a dream, don't wake me up.[/size][/i]
[quote]Now thats funny. Cyris, I knight you 'Sir Witty for the day'.[/quote]
The assassin stood forward, his gaze meeting that of the vampire.
"Kill them then, beast" Nahaz snarled, his face a scowl. "You know more of the Brettonians code of honor than I. Tell me if you think a knight would give up something as important as the girl to you. I do not."
Turning to the companions, the assassin tried to appeal to them, not something he was very good at.
"Do not hand over the girl. What is one small village to the rest of the world? And I do not think for a moment he intends to let the village free. I hope you do not think the same."
"Return to your hole, creature of the night, before you die." Nahaz said this last part with a tone the brooked no argument.
'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.'
Emma looked up at the strangely clad man, who spoke of the deaths of the people she had known her entire life so casually, her eyes brimming with tears. "What? No! No! Don't let him do that!" She tried to break free of Leon's grip.
It was clear to the rest of the group that such a choice - letting Izlude kill the village - would indeed have a dire effect on Emma. The choice was ultimately theirs but the sight of her entire world being slaughtered before her very eyes would have consequences.
Leon's mind raced with indecision; Nahaz was right on many levels and saw the wisdom in his words. The vows's he had taken had demanded he protect those unable to protect themselves, to never let evil thrive unopposed. Could he really just stand there and let Izlude slaughter the village? On the other hand, there was no way he was going to hand Emma over to the abomination that was once his grandfather.
It was an impossible situation.
[img]http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb266/Mel_Reyna/Cyris-sig.jpg[/img]
[i][size=75]If this is all a dream, don't wake me up.[/size][/i]
[quote]Now thats funny. Cyris, I knight you 'Sir Witty for the day'.[/quote]
Illidan's blades were unsheathed as soon as he sighted a man in a white cloak. When his thoughts were confirmed and he saw it was Izlude he took some steps forward so that he stood before Leon and Emma, blocking the way for Izlude to do something.
Knowing it wasn't a perfect plan he kept his senses sharp for anything unexpected.
"You will kill them no matter what we do Izlude, don't pretend we are fools. It was about time you stopped sneaking behind us sending your minions at us. If you really want Leon so bad you follow us into Athel Loren to get him you'll have to try a lot harder." Illidan said and the grip on his weapons tightened.
He revealed his knowledge about the events and thought it was good to show on which side he was.
"Mel might have had a moment of weakness but it has now turned into a strength. Because of the knowledge we got beforehand we are less surprised to know that you used to be Leon's grandfather now. The fact that she chose our side is enough for me to know her loyalty." Illidan continued.
As he heard Emma Illidan sighed. Trusting on his other senses to keep him aware he looked at Emma.
"The bad man will harm them whatever we do, he just wants to make us think we have a choice. That's why we are here, to protect you from bad people like him. We want to protect everyone from the likes of him but is hard, we will do what we can." He said giving Emma a slight smile.
He looked back to Izlude with hatred in his eyes. Knowing that the group would not give Emma and that Izlude wouldn't let the villagers survive anyway he continued.
"Why do you hide behind these schemes, leave Perrache out of this. Surely a vampire with your 'esteemed' skills could defeat us without hiding behind these innocent villagers?" Illidan saying the word esteemed mockingly.
"So what's it going to be, will you stand and fight or flee again and cower behind your minions which will bore us to death at most?" Illidan said, taunting the Vampire.
He was annoyed by the Vampire's behaviour, sending minions to test the group. The sneaky behaviour also reminded him of the Assassins that hunt him. They would fight Izlude anyway and now they had a good rest in Athel Loren and he felt ready to face him.
OOC: Edit; Cyris posted 3 minutes before me so I asked permission to add something.
[size=75]Illidan:I can't do anything about it! It's a proven fact that men think of sex at least every 20 seconds. >_>
Mel'Reyna: hehe
Mel'Reyna:i only think about it every 21 seconds
Mel'Reyna: :D[/size]
"Do you honestly think that we will just simply hand over the girl after all of this time?"
He laughed.
"We have all sworn an oath to protect this world, and the threats that surround it. My oath was one to protect Leon and Emma unto death - and now is the greatest test of it."
Twirling the sword, he began to move towards Izlude. He had no idea how pwoerful this Vampire was, what powers he had.
The Adrenaline rushing through was immense; It made Aranel shake a bit, though he tried to hide it - The others may mistake it for fear.
"Leon bid it, I shall show you why the Swordmasters of Hoeth are a feared force throughout the world."
Hearing Aranel's footsteps coming closer Illidan held an arm out and blocked his way. He then spoke in simple elvish knowing that no one could understand it except for Aranel as a high elf speaking with a dark elf.
"I'd like to finish this vampire off as much as you do but let's not do things too fast, if the girl's hometown dies before her eyes then it might crush her completely. It's better to prevent traumatizing her as that might turn her to the opposite direction." he said looking at Aranel and then the girl.
He then looked back at Izlude straight in the eyes and continued in simple elvish.
"This vampire seems cocky, if we keep challenging him and continue to call these traps and schemes a sign of weakness he might be provoked into fighting fairly against us. Perhaps that will spare Emma of a traumatizing experience in her already troubling life."
He sighed thinking that this would be bad for Emma whatever the outcome.
[size=75]Illidan:I can't do anything about it! It's a proven fact that men think of sex at least every 20 seconds. >_>
Mel'Reyna: hehe
Mel'Reyna:i only think about it every 21 seconds
Mel'Reyna: :D[/size]
Nikoli looked to the companions yelling out against the Vampire infront...
Was the village even saveable? Or were they already dead? Was this a matter of either their blades killing the undead or Izulde uncasting his spell and letting the lifeless bodies fall to the floor?
"Where are those darn wood elves when you need them..." Nikoli mumbled so that Izulde could not hear what he had spoken in frustration. This was not a fair descision to be made...
Then Nikoli got a plan,
"Is it really the girl that you want? What good is she to you anyways? The only reason we had come to get her is because she is Leons wife! If you are jealous of his catch by all means we can help you find and save your own damsel from the wood elves, would cost a pretty penny as Leon has paid but for a beutiful lady why not?" Nikoli spoke acting as if Izulde had no idea what the girl may be capable of which he clearly had..
"Or is it really Leon that you want? The heir to the throne that your son currently holds? Leave the petty villagers and let us handle this else where. I can hardly believe that you had only planned this capture, and hoped some villagers and the girls parents were all that would persuade us... Let the villagers be and take this to another place, maybe by the waters near your dark elf friends or into the woods where you can raise some of the comrades you betrayed back in the day... The choice is yours but this stand off is making my legs hurt let us move to some place else..." Nikoli said, maybe this will work maybe not who knows...
"And you can't lie yourself, the blackness in their eyes is creepy, you should agree, or atleast understand a bit... They are starring at us not you hehe..." Nikoli threw in some more or less unneccessary humour but to lighten up the mood and the vampire to convince him to let them go it was worth a shot..
Nikoli left his sword un drawn and put his hands in the pockets of his large black trench coat...
Nahaz looked at Ghost incredulously. What on earth was the human doing? Little of what he said made sense, and it was clear that the vampire knew who the girl was and what he wanted her for.
Sighing, the assassin slowly bean moving around the vampire. When the stand-off broke, which it would, he wanted to be in the best position possible.
'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.'
The instant that Mel saw Izlude as the group approached Perrache, she instantly froze, too terrified to move as she felt his gaze upon her, feeling as if he was about to devour her with nothing but the use of his eyes. She cringed as he gave everyone another reminder of the horrible thing that she'd come so close to doing, causing her to stare at the ground as a wave of shame washed over her once again.
Slowly, she started to feel her anger building up inside of her, as if it were consuming all of her other emotions until it was the only one left. She raised her head back up, staring directly towards Leon's grandfather as she quivered slightly, this time from the rage that she felt instead of from fear. It was not the first time that she had thirsted for revenge, but it was the first time that she had not wanted it only for her own sake. Despite the way that Izlude had manipulated her, what he'd done to Leon and Emma went far beyond that, which is why she wanted vengeance for them more than for herself.
Mel unsheathed both of her daggers, getting ready in case Izlude or the villagers he had somehow enslaved attacked, but she had a feeling that a battle would not be favorable for them at the moment.
-"Even if we were to fight him off, he already holds all of the villagers' lives in the palm of his hand, and he can probably extinguish all of them with a simple thought. Not that he would even need to, since the only way we'll get to him is by cutting through all of them first. There's no saving them either way, and I don't think that the scene which would ensue if we decided to fight would be good for the girl..."
Izlude smiled wickedly as Illidan spoke his insults, obviously trying to appeal to his sense of superiority. He was silent for a time but then his smile turned to one of curiosity as the high elf swordmaster stood before the group. From the look in his eyes, Izlude had encountered the warriors of the White Tower before – he knew he should not underestimate them.
The vampire knight roared at the words of Nikoli, waving his hand dismissively. “Silence, fool! You speak nothing but nonsense.”
Leon held Emma tightly, not willing to let her go. “Aranel, stay your sword. I do not wish to see you give your life away – this is my fight.”
The knight hissed in frustration through clenched teeth.
“You are right, Mel. We... we can’t save them, can we?”
Izlude turned to Illidan once again. “You know elf, I think you may be right.” He threw his hands up apologetically. “You are right, I should listen to you. I don’t need these people any more than you do. So, I’ll take your advice.”
With barely a blink of his eyes, the townspeople of Perrache – everyone Emma had ever known – collapsed. The expressions on their lifeless faces were of incomprehension. The young girl wailed in sorrow, crying uncontrollably. The knight held her close.
Izlude shook his head. “Happy now? The girl will suffer the scar of this moment for the rest of her life and only because you all were powerless to act!"
“Bastard!” Leon yelled.
The vampire-knight slowly unsheathed his blade, a slender longsword and simply stood amongst the corpses, waiting. “It is time for you all to embrace the end. The girl is mine.”
Leon placed Emma on the ground and made ready his own weapons.
“That’s enough, grandfather!” With reckless abandon, Leon charged the vampire.
[img]http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb266/Mel_Reyna/Cyris-sig.jpg[/img]
[i][size=75]If this is all a dream, don't wake me up.[/size][/i]
[quote]Now thats funny. Cyris, I knight you 'Sir Witty for the day'.[/quote]
