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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2012 23:50:35 GMT -5
Mr. Thomas, aka Card Soldier Black Joker, stood at his post on top of the large wall that surrounded the castle city. He was the newest recruit, so he was stuck with one of the night posts. Short sleep during the day, and up all night. Not only that but he absolutely hated this body. He was a flipping card!
He never felt so humiliated! "Oh shut up. It's better then what I'm doing." Arya communicated to him telepathically from the castle. She was busy starring at the sealing of her small bunk after having spent the day scrubbing floors and running food around the castle. They had hired her pretty much right off the bat, the moment they had noticed her sneaking into the castle.
Mr. Thomas on the other hand, had a much harder time at solidifying his spot. He had to find out who the newest recruit was. Kill him. And then take his place. Sounded simple right? Wrong! It had taken more then three days before he finally had managed to track down the card soldier. And once he did he was stationed here on the wall.
This was the best place to be for Darius and White. Whenever they decided to show up. It had been two weeks now since they had last left. Mr. Thomas knew time went by differently depending on the world you went, so he figured it would be any day now that they returned.
Before the two had left, they really had no idea about the situation here in Wonderland. Having been in the castle, and Mr. Thomas being an acting guard, things were much more grave then they appeared. The man who was responsible for what had happened to the White Queen was now the General of the Army.
There were 48 card soldiers on duty at all times. Twelve were stationed at the wall. Twelve patrolling the streets. The rest patrolled the castle. Even if they managed to get through all twenty four guards there, the general himself was reportedly a light sleeper. He was the hero of the battle field, having slayed the girl himself, a formidable opponent no doubt.
Then there was the Red Queen. And boy had she gotten worst then since he last saw her. "She killed one of the kids today because the cook made the wrong stew." Arya said.
Mr. Thomas actually shook his head to that. She was all full of herself now. And determined to find the White Queen. She had offered a bounty of a million munny to anyone who brought her their head. Because of this bounty hunters across the worlds were taking their residence in the city, and roaming the hills and forest. All in search for the White Queen.
The citizens all hated the Red Queen. They lived in fear of getting on her bad side. Not only that but the heartless tormented the nights in the city. This place had become a world polluted with darkness from peoples hearts. Darkness for the queen, from the queen, from everywhere. It wasn't safe outside anymore. Thus the night patrols.
Many of the citizens also believed that the queen herself was being influenced by the heartless. Some say that the very chair she sat on was a heartless. Mr. Thomas figured that was most likely just gossip. But it showed how bad things really were around here.
Mr. Thomas had no clue as to how they were going to fix things. Perhaps killing the Red Queen... but that was even harder! Things looked very grim for all of them.
Suddenly a bright light began to shine in Mr. Thomas's pockets. It made the card soldier jump and a small coin to flop out onto the ground. The coin let out a glow that told Mr. Thomas only one thing. They were back! And they were at the gates!
"Don't just stand there! Go get them." The bossy girl in his head commanded. It wasn't that simple. And who was she to go commanding him what to do. Suddenly Mr. Thomas felt a pull on his body that he was very familiar with. It was not an actual pull but more of a force that threatened his very life force.
Mr. Thomas bite his teeth as it ceased. Ya he got the message. Walking from his position, Mr. Thomas walked down the stairs and over towards the entrance gates. To open them now would sound the alarm. There was a way to get the two in but it was tricky. So he walked right past those gates and onto the set of stair case right next to the wall.
Sure enough #9 lounged against the wall asleep. Red Nine was never able to stay awake. Next to him was the rope ladder. Mr. Thomas looked right and left then threw it down and over the wall. It was only a matter of seconds before two shadows broke from the ground and ran towards the rope ladder.
Waiting, Mr. Thomas watched White then Darius come up the ladder. Both paused when they saw a card standing there with a smile on its face and a finger to its lips indicating for them to be quiet. Thankfully they were smart enough to not say anything.
Mr. Thomas walked down the steps first back towards the main gate. The hard part had been done. They got them inside. Once in front of the gate, Mr. Thomas finally spoke. "Go to the back alley a street down. You will find some armor and a red pendent to wear on the breast plates in a brown bag. Your cover is mercenaries. Go to the inn. We'll meet you later."
"What are you supposed to be Mr. Thomas?"
Rolling his eyes, Mr. Thomas replied, "A card soldier... now get on your way. Darius don't let hair for brains get sidetracked."
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Post by Sprow on May 29, 2012 0:22:50 GMT -5
The minute they had arrived here, Darius had done what they had been instructed to do when they did. Having pulled out the coin and chanted to it while doing what he was suppose to, Darius waited in concealment with White for signs of Mr. Thomas. Pale blue eyes couldn't see anything but a dark gate. He didn't even dare speak a word since they got here. Already, he was glad to have come. It had managed to get his mind off of his troubled thoughts since Destiny Islands.
Within moments, a rope ladder suddenly dropped over the side of the wall. Looking over at White, Darius nodded and they both set off for the rope ladder. By the time they got to the top, they found themselves looking back at a sleeping card and one that was awake, smiling at them with a finger pressed to its lips.
It hadn't taken either of them long to figure out this was an ally and not what they thought was an enemy card that had just caught them. It looked like Mr. Thomas's body had changed figure again to become one of the cards. How that happened, Darius wasn't sure but the whispers they heard from it made it clear that it was Mr. Thomas speaking to them once they reached the front of the gate away from the slumbering card.
They were required to go down a street from here in a back alley. There, the clothing for their disguises were to be found. White and Darius were going under the guise as mercenaries. "Hm, sounds interesting!" Darius replied in a low tone. All of them were to meet at the inn. Darius nodded to show he understood. It was White that asked what Mr. Thomas was suppose to be.
Darius mentally scratched his head. Wasn't he a card soldier? Sure enough,Mr. Thomas replied with that same answer. Right after, he told them to hurry and that Darius was to make sure White didn't get sidetracked. "I er...I will!" he replied before looking over at White apologetically.
"Let's go, White!"with that, he started heading silently down the street, careful to watch out for any unfriendly eyes that might be on the look out for them.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2012 0:37:30 GMT -5
White was a little bit fumed by the comment the card soldier had made. He had brains. And he used them regularly. At least he thought he did. Either way there wasn't much time to respond, they walked away from the gate and down the street. It was lit by small hanging lamps that cast shadows on different areas.
White noticed a couple of things that stood out to him. The first were the yellow eyes. No doubt they were heartless. Surprisingly thought they did not attack. They just watched from the shadows as White and Darius made there way. The second thing he noticed was the lack of people. Usually, even at night, there were people going about in a place such as this. For there to be no one... surely that must mean something.
White made a mental note to ask Mr. Thomas about it as he made his way to the alley. Sure enough, once he and Darius walked down it, there was a bag with armor inside. Strapping on steel arm guards, and a breast plate, White thought he looked a bit ridiculious in armor. Not only that but this stuff was heavy! How did Darius move with all that armor he wore?!
Finally to complete the outfit was the red pendent, that stuck to the shoulder guard he wore quite nicely. Having finished the look, White turned to Darius. He didn't seem all out of place with the armor he wore! Probably because he was used to wearing it.
White spoke in a whisper. "Any idea where this inn place is?"
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Post by Sprow on May 29, 2012 1:28:07 GMT -5
Darius could immediately pin point yellow eyes looking out at them through the darkness. No doubt, they belonged to Heartless. Why the creatures weren't attacking them though, Darius had to wonder. He was sure he and White were still on the path of light. Neither of them had gone down a dark path, had they? The simple fact they weren't doing anything made him wary.
No one was even around in sight. Had the Heartless held that strong of an effect over the given area or was the place here that bad? Darius guessed they would find out soon enough. He focused his mind on just walking to their destination.
Once they got there, it was easy to locate the brown bag that had their armor in it. Picking out his own armor, Darius began putting it on. He had summoned armor before but putting it on was another matter entirely. It didn't take him long to figure it out though. Even if he summoned armor, he felt more like at home with putting it on as well. It was heavier than what he was accustomed to but not by much. 'Guess that means my armor is mystical in that it's lighter in weight to the wearer?' he thought.
Turning to White when he spoke, Darius pondered as he put on his pendant too. "I'm guessing it has to be the only inn in the entire place. We'll just have to go looking around for it." With that, Darius took one last look over himself before looking at White. "You ready?"
Once White was set, they were of in search of the inn. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong in the process.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2012 12:48:20 GMT -5
The inn wasn't as far as White had thought. It was a couple of blocks down, and the only place where there were actually people outside. However the moment White took in the inn, he knew that this wasn't the best place to be. The people outside were all dressed in different get ups, but they all had one thing in common. They wore red pendents on their arms.
Were they all mercenaries? Why were there so many of them here in one place. As the pair approached, those outside stopped talking. They intently starred at them. White made out many different outfits, and different skin complexions. He even noticed what looked like to be a lion. There were no lions in Wonderland. At least he didn't think there were any. These people were from various worlds.
When they came to the main door, the lion, who had been conversing with about four other mercenaries of different types gave them a toothy grin. "Newcomers...? Why you're only boys! Think you guys gonna catch that White Queen huh?"
The lion stepped in front of the door. Seeing it in the light of the lamp by the door, White could make out its sharp eyes and brown mane. "Sabre will be the one to catch the little queen! Why don't you just turn around and go back to where ever you came from!" He said threateningly.
White glanced at Darius. What were they supposed to do now? White didn't think getting into a fight with a lion and four others. They were supposed to lay low.
"There will be no fighting at my inn lion. Not if you want to stay here." The door to the inn had opened to reveal a tall man dressed in black pants, a white long sleeve shirt, and a black apron over them. The sleeves of his shirt were pulled up this his elbows and brown hair and hazel eyes stared at the lion.
The lion gave a little growl, but said nothing as he got out of the way for the man "Come on inside you two. I assume you'll be wanting a room then?"
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Post by Sprow on May 30, 2012 3:06:26 GMT -5
It hadn't been difficult to find the inn. As Darius had suspected, it seemed to be the only one that they knew of. It was peculiar being in a place where everyone was inside somewhere and not out on the streets. It made Darius feel exposed and paranoid. Hopefully, this was just some sort of trick of Mr. Thomas's and Arya's. That or they just were that damn lucky tonight, it seemed.
Upon reaching the inn, Darius found himself somewhat surprised to see people standing just outside of it. Since the place had seemed deserted at night, Darius was a bit taken aback to see others actually outside. As they approached, they could see beings of various genders, shapes, and races or species. All of which wore the same pendants that White and Darius had on. Surely, these were mercenaries too?
When they got within sight of those standing outside that were talking amongst themselves, the crowd went quiet as they all turned to look over at them. It made Darius self conscious as they neared them. Not all of the gazes appeared to be friendly and a lot of them looked as though they were sizing them up. Clearly, everyone here was in competition with one another to locate the White Queen. Darius hoped she was safe and sound. He'd hate to see her captured by these men or anyone that meant her harm.
Before they could walk through the door leading into the inn, a lion had stepped into their path causing them to stop in their tracks. There was a grin upon his face that spoke of pride. Lions were known to be prideful creatures and this one was no exception. As he looked upon them, he spoke. Apparently, the fact they were younger than most here greatly amused the lion. He thought this was some kind of joke.
Darius just looked back at him unflinchingly as Sabre, the lion, staked his claim that he would be the one to find the White Queen and that they should just turn and leave now. Darius didn't look over at White but he could see in his peripheral vision that his friend was looking over at him. Most likely, he was wondering what they should do here. Getting themselves into a fight right now wouldn't be the brightest move. The last thing they needed was to have their heads cut off for causing a fight in the kingdom of the Red Queen who took people's heads off over petty things.
How should he respond? Darius remained calm and collected, just merely gazing at the lion. He wasn't showing him any fear but neither was his gaze disrespectful nor hinted at frustration or anger. "I'm sorry...but we're not doing that, Sabre. We've come too long a way for someone to make us just turn our backs now." He wasn't even being confronting when he spoke. He kept his tone even and polite. Lions weren't creatures you wanted to anger and Darius was being keen to keep from being rude which would only toss a lion into a fit of rage more so than words that were even and not insulting.
Before things could get worse though, someone else spoke up. Darius brought his eyes off of Sabre to look over at the owner of the voice. It was the inn keeper and he wasn't going to allow any fighting in his inn. Honestly, Darius was inwardly relieved that the inn keeper had arrived when he had. If he didn't, there would've definitely been a fight even with the words that Darius had used. Sabre and his men wouldn't likely allow them to pass and it would've just been inevitable if he hadn't come along. He was grateful for that.
As if subdued for now, the lion had stepped away to allow them entry, giving the innkeeper a low growl as he went. Forgetting about the lion for now, the inn keeper focused his attention on them. Darius nodded at the gesture and headed up to the doorway leading inside. As they walked, the inn keeper asked them if they would be wanting a room. "Yes, if you've any available, please."
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2012 18:32:07 GMT -5
The inn was set up as pretty much every other inn they had. Technology was prevalent on almost every world they had been too now. However it was quite clear that this place was alot more unfriendly of a place. The moment White stepped in, he was greeted with the smell of heavy beer and the loud conversations and boasts of mercenaries.
People were scattered in different groups, and serving wrenches brought drinks to tables. They were dressed in very provocative clothing. "This place seems more like a brothel then an inn." White said under his breath.
He hadn't thought the inn keeper would have heard, but apparently he did. "Things have changed since the war. No one comes here anymore but mercenaries. They want girls they can pinch, and liquor they can sip. I got to make a living." White nodded. He felt bad for saying that, but the way the inn keeper spoke, it didn't seem like he really cared that much.
They stopped at the main desk. The inn keeper walked behind it and pulled out a red book. Opening it, White noticed a list of rooms and names. "Let's see. Room for two... We have three rooms open. Two of them are on the top floor. The third is on this floor through the door behind me... But its the closest room to here. These folks ain't retiring anytime soon. If you want sleep your better off in one of the top floor rooms."
White liked the idea of sleep. After everything that had happened he really liked it. But there was the chance of someone over hearing them on the top floor. If they stayed on the first they would have this crowd to pretty much drown out any conversation they had in the room. He couldn't just tell Darius this though. Not without rising suspicion.
So before Darius could take a room on the top floor, White chipped up. "We'll take the room on this floor."
Nodding the inn keeper grabbed a key and took out his pen. "And you two are?"
"White and Darius Lanister." White said, using the first last name that popped in his head. Lanister was the last name of his mother.
"Right then... It'll be thirty munny up front. Another thirty tomorrow when you leave." Reaching into his pocket, White pulled out the munny and handed it to the inn keeper. "Alright then here's your key. Room 002."
White gave the key to Darius with a small smile. Before they turned toward the door though, White glanced back at the inn keeper once more. "We have a friend coming here to meet us earlier. Could you please direct him to our room." Finally with a nod of the inn keeper, White followed Darius through the floor and into their room.
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Post by Sprow on Jun 1, 2012 0:09:38 GMT -5
The minute they entered the inn, Darius could see what kind of crowd the place had. It wasn't a friendly looking place. In fact, one could easily compare it to a rough bar that lurked down a street not many people frequented. It made Darius wonder just how many more unpleasant mercenaries that he and White would face before the night was out. Hopefully, they would be given their room and be off before any real trouble could start. Darius didn't want to get found out because people here were too prideful.
Darius glanced over at the inn keeper when he spoke, responding to something White had muttered. Having had a glance around, Darius found it awkward to be seeing women dressed in such attire. He averted his gaze from them out of respect. How a lady could put herself in such a position, Darius didn't know nor did he wish to know.
When they made it over to the desk finally, Darius listened as the inn keeper pulled out a red book and began to list off available rooms. There were two on the third floor and one on this floor. Before Darius could even speak though, White chose the room on the bottom floor. 'So much for getting any sleep! The noise in this floor is enough to wake the dead!' he thought as White paid half for the room and obtained the key from the inn keeper. White had given them a false last name to go by. Darius did his best to act like this wasn't anything new.
Darius blinked back over at White as he handed him the key. Well, at least they'll be free of this unfriendly crowd soon enough. Darius didn't like the idea of meeting anyone else that wanted to stake their claims on the White Queen and wish to threaten them. Turning towards the door, he gave pause when White spoke to the inn keeper once more to inform him that they had a visitor. The inn keeper agreed to that and the two finally headed into the room. Darius couldn't turn the doorknob any faster than he did at that moment after turning the key in the lock.
Once inside, Darius shut the door behind them and locked it for now. "Reminds me of one of those unruly bars back in Meadows!" he stated. White might not even know what world he was talking about but Darius had just given him some information that pertained to his homeworld which was long gone.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2012 0:38:45 GMT -5
Upon entering the room, White was greeted with a room that he figured he would find in an inn such as this. Yes the room was neat and kept clean, but things weren't the fanciest. Not that it really mattered to White. He was never one for fancy / expensive things. But the room was basically what you would expect it to be.
Darius shut the door behind them, and White could see just what the inn keeper had been talking about. They could hear the rumble of the greeting room. It was muffled and unintelligible, but it would become a bit of an annoyance when one tried to sleep. That was alright with White. He had the experience of having to sleep up standing before. If he could manage that, he could sleep with a little noise.
Taking a seat on one of the two beds, White only blinked at Darius in slight confusion. What did he mean in "Meadows"? What was Meadows? Perhaps it was the lost world that Darius was from? White had never heard him talk about the world before. Then again there really hadn't been much time for talking about it either.
White opened his mouth to ask Darius about it when a knock came at the door. Shutting his mouth and in turn shelving his question for later, White blinked for a moment. Had Mr. Thomas gotten to them already? Who else could t be? "I'll get it." White said, giving Darius the chance to get settled into the room.
Strolling over to the door, White expected to see Mr. Thomas. He would most likely be in another of his disguises, or perhaps even the same card soldier as before. Opening up the door, White was met facing a tall man with red spiky hair, blue eyes, and a scar in the shape of an x on his cheek. He was dressed in gray plated armor and held a sword in his hand.
"Mr. Thomas?" White asked. If this was one of Mr. Thomas's new disguises, this was a first.
The man in front of them seemed to be in his thirties. "Sadly no." That was all the man said before a gloved steel first punched him in the gut. A second latter a score of card soldiers piled into the room, surrounding Darius. White, hunched over in pain, felt the hilt of the man's sword connect to the back of his head sending him to the floor and giving him a major headache.
"You two are under arrest in the name of the Red Queen. White blinked as he tried to stand up, and draw his weapon. But he found that the man's sword was resting at his back. "Hand over your weapons, or your friend here will find my blade through his back." The words weren't to White, so he figured it was to Darius. White just hoped his friend listened. He didn't want a sword through his back.
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Post by Sprow on Jun 2, 2012 2:22:17 GMT -5
Darius could hear the noise outside the room. Where the door and walls had muffled it, it was still loud enough to hear. It would be a pain to try to get any sleep in this room. Still, he couldn't complain. It was this or sleep outside considering this room was already partially paid for. As he located a seat to place himself, a knock came at the door.
Glancing over at White, Darius rose a brow. Had Mr. Thomas already arrived that quickly? That didn't seem to make sense. Darius was under the impression that it would take Mr. Thomas longer than this to visit them. Maybe something came up? As Darius considered getting up, he soon needn't have to since White said he would get it. Darius furrowed a brow but shrugged and let him do so.
What happened next, however, wasn't anything they had seen coming. A man adorned in armor stood before White on the other end and he had red hair, blue eyes and a crossed scar on the side of his face. His appearance didn't look all that welcoming to be perfectly honest. Had Mr. Thomas changed his appearance that dramatically already? Darius frowned a bit at that, slowly getting to his feet again. The tension in the air was suddenly growing very thick. Something wasn't right here.
Sure enough, after White questioned if he were Mr. Thomas, the guy just simply replied before punching him in the gut. Darius winced before taking up his steel pipe and the sword at his side. If he had to, he'd somehow dual wield these things. He wasn't sure how but he would. Dual wielding was more so Ivory's thing. Darius was a broadsword, single sword user.
Before he could react though, they were completely surrounded. Darius glared around at the room. They were arrested? What had they done? Who found out about them? Had they been betrayed? It didn't make any sense! Hearing the man's words, and considering how many enemies were in here and how small the room was, Darius had no choice but to lower his weapons. Eyes locked onto the guy that was holding White captive, Darius threw his weapons onto the ground.
There was one other weapon he still had but wasn't physically here. Darius wondered if the guy knew of the armor. Upon returning here, Darius hadn't used it. Maybe he could play along and break them free later? That was a big fat maybe though, he wasn't sure how much they already knew about them or what they knew about them. As he put his hands to his head to show he was surrendering, he kept his gaze unblinking on the man. "Mind telling us what law we broke?" he inquired smoothly.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2012 0:15:31 GMT -5
White listened to the man as he gave orders to the card soldiers after Darius had dropped his weapons. "Grab his weapon, and strip him of any jewelry or items that rise suspicion. He could have a magical artifact on him. Try anything boy and your friend will taste steal faster then you could move."
Great! That meant that they would probably take Darius's access to his armor. This really was not turning out well. What had happened? How had they been found? White wanted to hear the man's answer to Darius's question. What law did they break?
"The queen needs no laws to make an arrest. But if you must know, each newcomer to Wonderland must present themselves before the queen. Your names were not on the register when your names were printed on the inn keepers books. Those names are seen by us the moment they are written. According to the law of new arrivals you are under arrest and will face the queens justice. You would be good to pray that she likes you."
Once Darius's weapons had been picked up, and any items taken, the card soldiers closed in on him, raising their spears at his back. White was grabbed by his hair and haled to his feet. His kantana was taken from his back. The entire time, the man's sword never left his back. "Let's go. Its to the queen's dungeons with you two until morning."
The travel out of the inn and to the castle went pretty quickly. White looked for any way to break free, but there were ten guards, and they were on their sides at all times. The castle was the largest structure in the city and it stood above them like a towering giant when they entered through the gates.
On the way to the dungeons, White counted card soldier after card soldier. There were card soldiers every place they turned. It didn't make the plan of invading the castle look all to promising. Could they have really gotten past that many guards? Well whatever the answer, it didn't look like they were going to get one.
The cells in the dungeons were pretty much cages. Steel bars and solid cement rooms. No beds, only a chamber pot. Unfortunately White and Darius were put in different cells. However, they were put right next to each other. The man who had captured them, had never left them. He had brought them all the way down here, and even had thrown them into the rooms, before locking the doors behind them.
"This is ridiculous! Were just mercenaries! We didn't know about this law. Can't we get a break?"
The man looked over at them. "That is not my decision. The queen and her General established this law. It is my job to make sure the law is followed. Most likely the queen will send you back to the world you came from, and suspend you from her world for a short amount of time. You can come back the right way then."
White had judged this man as an evil person. However the way he talked it seemed like he was just following orders. He had no reason to lie to them, so White figured he must have been telling the truth. "But the White Queen will be found by then!" White said, though he knew exactly where the queen was.
The man shook his head. "I doubt that... After what Shark did to her... She's probably dead. Good too. I would not wish General Shark on anyone." That was the last thing he said before he left up the staircase they had entered.
Sighing, White sat down. "Guess this turned out to be a mess."
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Post by Sprow on Jun 4, 2012 0:44:38 GMT -5
Darius just looked back at the guy, careful to not make any move that would jeopardize White's life. He really didn't like the cards rummaging through his pockets but he couldn't do anything about it. The only good thing was that he knew his armor only responded to him when he grabbed it. So, even if they found the dragon trinket, they wouldn't recognize it as anything but a mere dragon statuette that couldn't be broken. It felt like limestone to the touch or some sort of stone if anyone were to find it.
With his weapons presently stripped, Darius was just as helpless as White was in this situation. Considering the fact he was still not boding well with information he had recently discovered, Darius wasn't exactly doing well right now in fighting down his anger at the injustice of their arrest. How were these idiots to know if they weren't going to present themselves to the Queen once the night was through? "How are you to know we weren't going to visit her tomorrow once this night was through since it would inconvenience her being this late out?" he inquired as the rest of the things he had were stripped from him.
Once that was done, the cards closed in on him with their spears from all sides. Darius couldn't move until directed. White and Darius were to be in the dungeons until the morning. 'Great, just real friggin great! Darius thought bitterly.
He hated having to comply but he did for White's sake. Where he might've not cared for his own life considering what he went through, he at least cared enough about the lives of others. Besides, getting killed over something like this wasn't a bright move. If anything, he was hoping for a way out at some point. He just wasn't sure how. The trip hadn't been long but Darius could do without weapons almost poking him now and then.
When they got to the dungeons, Darius was forced to catch his balance when he was thrown into his own cell. White and he were separated but still next to one another. Darius glared over at the guards as the guy locked their cell doors. He held his tongue though as White spoke up for the both of them. It really was ridiculous. As far as they knew it, they were just mercenaries. The response the guy gave them wasn't comforting though. Darius suspected she was more petty than that. After all, she tended to behead people over silly little things.
Darius remained quiet throughout the conversation. Anything he might say would probably jeopardize White and himself. So, instead, he chose to be silent. Once the conversation between White and the man who had imprisoned them was done, Darius watched the guy leave before looking over at White. "Mess? More like a disaster!" he retorted. Darius shook his head then and even went as far as bumping his head on a steel bar to emphasize his frustration.
"What are we going to do?"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2012 22:45:25 GMT -5
White glanced towards the two guards stationed by the opening. "I don't know..." He trailed off. There was nothing they really could do but wait till morning. White doubted that Mr. Thomas knew they were even captured. Perhaps coming back to Wonderland had not been the right thing to do.
They had no clue where Arya was. They had yet to even come into contact with her. It was going to be a rough sleep. Quite literally since they had no bed to sleep on, only hard cement. Well at least it would be a quiet one. Sitting on the ground, he glanced up the ceiling. "Nothing for us to do but wait till morning. Maybe some shut eye will help us."
Leaning against the wall, White tried to close his eyes. There really wasn't anything more to do but wait. They should definitely come up with a story. Just in case they brought them in separate. White figured they could do that in the morning. Before he knew it he was fast asleep.
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"Why doesn't the general get his own damn wine." Arya thought to herself as she carried a pitcher of wine up a staircase. "Oh shut it. You don't have to be up all night patrolling a stupid wall. It's not like an armies going to suddenly appear. Besides your supposed to find a way to get to the general. White and Darius are at the inn. We'll have to come up with a plan, and we'll be counting on you getting us in the castle." Mr. Thomas responded telepathically.
Arya knew that Mr. Thomas had a point but that didn't mean she had to like it. She had just gotten to sleep when the door to the dormitory had opened. Being the newest recruit she was always on call at night. The general wanted wine, so she had to go and give it to him. How was she going to get the three of them in? Mr. Thomas could get in pretty easily. But for two mercenaries... Arya had no clue how to do that.
They weren't allowed free roam of the castle, nor did they really have any business being there. Not unless they had caught the White Queen... Could that work maybe? "No... they'd take us straight to the Queen. We'd never get to the general."
What Mr. Thomas thought was true... But what would killing the general really do? They really needed to kill the Queen. She was behind all of this. Could they really do it? "You've been in the throne room when shes there. You know how many guards are there..."
Yes there were six guards at all times. Tough two of them were at the door. The other four were on the left and right of the Queen's throne, standing about two feet behind her. No doubt three of them would defend while the other whisked the Queen away. There were four of them. Perhaps if she stunned the enemy... But all of her books on magic were left in Halloween Town. She hadn't thought to bring them.
"Perhaps if I could access my full power..." Arya cut that thought off with a hard no. There was no way she was unlocking the seals that her mother put on Mr. Thomas's mind. She had no clue why her mother put them there, but when the link passed down to her upon her mothers death she was given the key to unlock those seals. She had not the knowledge to study them. She couldn't even control a being yet.
"You'll be able too. You just need time to practice." Mr. Thomas said. And when was she supposed to do that when she was too busy being cup bearer? Speaking of that, Arya made it to the top of the stairs. Walking down the hallway, she took a right at the second split and found herself facing the doors to the generals room.
Knocking at the door, General Gilter opened it. He was a man in his late twenties, tan with a bald head and a built complex. If he wasn't evil, Arya would have been attracted to him. He was a very good looking man, but evil to the core. How did Arya know that? It was kind of easy. Just entering the room, Arya was welcomed with the sight that the maids and children working here told horrific stories about.
Except for the Queen's room Gilter had the second largest suite in the castle. With couches, a table, and a grand master bed he had everything he needed to feel comfortable. The bed was absolutely gorgeous with tall wooden posts and engraved design. Too bad there were two naked woman chained to the front two posts. There backs were stained red from whip marks, most likely made by the belt on the bed.
The fact that the woman weren't here of their own free will and the fact that at the end of the night they would both be cut open by Gilter's sword totally ruined the nice bed. Arya was new, but even she had heard the whispers of how Gilter threatened each of the girls he would welcome them to his room soon as they were old enough.
Arya stepped into the room, and did her best to ignore the crying woman. "Ah. A glass of wine before I get to the good part." The General said. Arya quieted her mind from the seething anger of Mr. Thomas, for he could feel her emotions through their link. She was scared, nervous and down right angry. Mr. Thomas couldn't see what she saw, but he could read her thoughts as they came to her about the situation. He definitely wanted nothing more then to kill the General.
Arya poured the wine into a silver glass and blocked the majority of Mr. Thomas's thoughts. "You know..." Gilter said, taking the cup of wine and drinking some. "Your kind of cute for a youngin. You gotta be what... Thirteen?" He asked.
Curtsying like she taught, Arya responded, "Yes sir."
Gilter walked over to one of the girls. He was dressed in a bath robe. Undoing it, he turned to Arya. "Two more years till your an adult. I'll be looking forward to that." He said with a perverted smile. Arya wanted to get out of there. If she had her book she could have looked up some poison magic and poisoned the wine.
Before things could get any more awkward a knock came at the door. Gilter looked over towards it slightly confused as he wrapped his bathrobe around him again. Opening the door, Arya was surprised to see Hornwood. He was dressed in his armor still and with his firey red hair, Arya was pretty sure he had just came back from patrolling the streets.
"Shark sir." Hornwood said with a salute, referring to the General's last name. "Just reporting that we picked up two newcomer mercenaries. They had not registered with the Queen or with you upon arrival."
General Gilter nodded. "And their names?" He asked.
"White and Darius I believe." Hornwood responded. However at that moment, Arya became very curious about this conversation. What did he mean they were arrested?
"Well the Red Queen will no doubt..." The General started but paused. Turning towards Arya he gave her a smile. "That will be all child.' Curtsying once more, Arya made a retreat out of the door. The last thing she heard was the General say, "Come in Captain. I have some wine and perhaps you'll finally take me up on that offer eh? I have some good women all set and ready."
As the door shut behind her. If White and Darius were here then things just speed along pretty quickly. Filling in Mr. Thomas on the way down, Arya went down another corridor and took another staircase down towards the dungeons. They would no doubt be seeing the Queen tomorrow. What better chance would there be? She just had to make sure she had their weapons.
Coming to the bottom of the staircase, Arya found herself facing two guards. They looked down at her curiously. "Can I help you wrench? Shouldn't you be in the dormitory?" A guard asked.
Thinking light on her feet she said, "I was told to tell you there is extra grub in the kitchen. You can go now if you want it." That was all the card guards needed to hear before they began their way up the stairs. Arya walked towards the first two cells. Sure enough there was a sleeping White and Darius, though she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.
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Post by Sprow on Jun 4, 2012 23:43:06 GMT -5
Darius really hated this feeling of helplessness. They were stuck in the dungeons and it really looked as if their only way out would be in the morning. Unfortunately, that might mean their lives would be forfeit. Darius didn't want to be beheaded. If anything, he just wanted out of here. Maybe if he lied? No, that might not work. Not even threatening the dragon lady might come to get them would work. Ivory may have killed the keyblade warrior but that didn't mean he'd be hailed as anything being the twin sibling.
Just what sort of story were they to come up with? Honesty, for the most part, was key. They were mere mercenaries that came a long way to this world and meant no offense to the Red Queen's law. If they had been aware, they would have paid her court a visit. That seemed...viable but man was that weak. They would have to come up with something to hopefully not end up beheaded but Darius wasn't sure how that would work. Flattery could probably help. Stroking someone's ego that was egotistical tended to work wonders.
Hearing White's words, Darius just shook his head. "I'm not sure if we're even going to survive the morning." With that, White went silent. Looking over at him, Darius saw that his friend had decided to get some shut eye. Darius didn't feel much like sleeping. Honestly, he couldn't. He feared what dreams would come to him if he tried. On top of it, he wasn't comfortable where he was right now. Darius never liked the thought of sleeping in the enemy's abode.
Sighing to himself in silence, Darius just laid himself down on the hard cement. His pale blue eyes stared up at the ceiling for a while before he tried shutting his eyes. If he couldn't sleep, at least he'll save his vision for the time being and seem asleep in case enemies visited them while they slept. Darius would know ahead of time if they approached.
Despite his unwillingness to sleep, Darius drifted a little. In his dream, Ivory was there and they fought. Then, out of nowhere, the guy Smiles appeared and just shot Ivory in the heart. The surprise jolted him awake just when footsteps were heard coming down into the dungeons. Blinking, alert, Darius shut his eyes again, laying still as he listened to the figure approaching them.
The steps had ceased, as if the person had reached to just outside their cells. They were standing there for quite some time before Darius abruptly sat up and turned to face whoever it was. He was taken aback when he found Arya standing outside their cells. "...Arya?" he said in a low tone. Had she come for them?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2012 2:37:08 GMT -5
White snored quietly in his cell. He had not heard Arya come in. He was busy sleeping and having a nightmare. He was running in his dream. Running after someone. But no matter how close he got to them, they managed to evade his grasp. Why couldn't he catch them? Even though he shouted for them to slow down, they just never did. Why wouldn't they stop?
He could almost hear his master. "You have to try harder! Run faster! Go on White, you can do it." The words sounded in his head, and it gave White the courage to continue running. Almost there! He was gaining ground! But then it came to a stop. He was just about to reach the person when he was pulled out of the dream.
Blinking he looked up to see Arya looking at him. "Arya... Why are you here?" He asked sleepily.
Arya simply shook her head and glanced over to Darius. "I work here in the castle. I started when you guys left. I don't have much time. The guards will be back soon. Listen I'm going to take your guys weapons. You two will be brought before the Red Queen tomorrow. The only way for us to fix things is if we kill her. Mr. Thomas will make sure he is in the room. Listen carefully you two. There are four guards guarding the Queen. You will be the closest to her when your brought forward. Mr. Thomas will take care of the other guards at the door. I will make sure you two have your weapons. You mustn't allow the Queen to escape. Any questions?"
Arya asked hurriedly. Too bad White had not heard a thing she just said. He had fallen right back to sleep. Arya didn't have time to repeat what she just said. If he wanted to sleep, Arya expected Darius would fill him in. "That boy is always acting before thinking." Mr. Thomas said. Arya merely rolled her eyes. Like Mr. Thomas was any better. He did the exact same thing.
"I do not!" He objected.
Arya blocked out his voice. "You do and you know it!"
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Post by Sprow on Jun 5, 2012 22:37:02 GMT -5
Darius glanced over at White when he spoke to Arya, questioning why she was here. Was he serious? Oh well, Darius wasn't going to think too much about that. White was White. At least one of them still remained as their usual self. Bringing his gaze back onto Arya, Darius wondered if she was going to free them. He hoped so. Darius didn't like the idea of being beheaded one bit.
Wide awake, Darius listened to what Arya was telling him. How were they going to have their weapons? During the moment when they were being brought over? He guessed somewhere around there. Hopefully, things would go according to plan.
When Arya asked if he had any questions, Darius tried to think. "What about the general? Even if we're brought before her and her guards, I'm sure he'd be around too." Darius wasn't afraid of having to fight one more person but fighting a skilled person like Smiles may be a problem. Darius wasn't sure how skilled the general was but if he had to fight, Darius wanted to ensure he still had his armor to help with that. It protected him for the most part.
"Not sure when the weapons will come but thanks, Arya. I'll fill in sleepyhead over there."
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2012 19:30:59 GMT -5
Arya nodded to Darius's reply. But not before answering his question about the general. "He will be out among town. He always is during the day. I think as long as we do things quickly, there will not be time for him to get back. Hopefully then things will get better. The White Queen can ascend the throne again." Arya said with a smile.
That was all the time she had though. If she was to make it before the guards returned, she'd have to go now. "I will see you tomorrow." That was the last thing she said before she grabbed their weapons that lay flat on the table and headed back up the stairs. "Yes the General will be gone. But if one of the guards raise the alarm..." Mr. Thomas thought.
Arya understood his worry. Yes there could be trouble if the alarm was raised before they managed to kill the Queen. "I'll think of something." Arya responded. She still had to think of a way to get the weapons to Darius and White. How was she going to do that? It wasn't like she would be able to walk in with them in her hands. The guards would not only prevent her from entering, they'd probably trial her as well.
"This is still a messy situation. I'm sure I can get inside the room tomorrow, but there is no gaurentee I'll be by the doors." There was so much to plan and so little time to plan it. Returning to the dormitory, Arya spent the rest of the night communicating with Mr. Thomas about what had to be done.
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White had no idea what time it was when the sound of steel striking steel awoke him. His eyes opened to see the Captain who brought them in, bang on Darius's door as well. What time was it? How long had he slept?
"Let's go you two. Time to see the Queen." He said, unlocking White's cell door first. Two card soldiers walked into the room, grabbed his arms, and led him out. At the same time, two more card soldiers entered Darius's room. "Wha... Don't we even get breakfast?" White asked, trying to stall. He hadn't even had time to come up with a story with Darius! This situation was just worsening by the second! He was led first, with Darius coming in close behind. They really did have rotten luck.
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Mr. Thomas entered Darius's cell, disguised as the Joker card. Accompanied by another card soldier, he went ahead and grabbed one of Darius's arm, while the other soldier grabbed the other. He could not say anything to Darius. Not even look at him, or else rouse suspicion. He could only hope that Darius remembered who he had seen on top of the castle wall, and knew that he had allies right next to him.
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Post by Sprow on Jun 8, 2012 14:59:04 GMT -5
Darius hoped what Arya said was true. Otherwise, well...Darius and White would lose their lives early in the journey and they had things they wanted to try and accomplish before their actual times. It would suck to die early. As Arya said this, Darius nodded his head at that. "I hope you're right. If I can, I'll fill White in. See you tomorrow. Hopefully, things don't go too badly."
With that, he watched Arya take their weapons and leave the dungeons. White's and Darius's hopes went with her as she communicated to Mr. Thomas telepathically.
When she was gone, Darius glanced over at White and sighed to himself. White was still asleep. No way was he going to be able to relay anything to him at the moment. Laying back down on the hard surface of the cell floor, Darius shut his eyes to try and get some sleep. It was a restless night for him though.
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As morning finally hit, at least that's what Darius thought it was, the sound of clunking steel woke him up. Stirring, Darius groggily glanced over at White. He was suddenly wide awake. Glancing out of his own cell, Darius saw the captain from last night and the card guards approaching. Immediately, Darius lost what grogginess he had. Adrenaline kicked in to jump start his awareness.
Getting to his feet, as his cell door was unlocked, Darius made no move to attack the cards. One of them, he noticed, looked familiar but then again...a lot of cards looked familiar. Darius didn't know for sure if Mr. Thomas was even in this cell as he compliantly allowed the cards to take him from his cell. He made no fuss so they didn't really have to use force on him as they went.
What sucked was that Darius didn't even have a chance to relay to White what was about to take place. Hopefully, White would catch on to what was going on when it happened. For the moment, Darius said nothing as they went.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2012 0:11:10 GMT -5
((OOC: Sorry was gone for the weekend. I'm back though))
White really had no idea what he was going to do. What should he even say? He could only hope they brought them in together. Perhaps there was a way to convince the queen that this really was a simple mistake. They could make an exception.. At least that was what he hoped.
The guards led them up the stair case. The Captain walked in front of them, leading the way. They passed the familiar hall they had first been brought in last night. From there they took a turn down quite a larger hallway. This one was more grand, and it was no doubt that this was the main hallway that the citizens used when they came to see their queen.
White just wished they would have been coming here as citizens and not prisoners. The hallway opened into a large throne room. Dressed in marble flooring White could only see one things. And that was the Red Queen. She was a large woman dressed in a red and black dress and a golden crown on her black locks. She had to have been in her forties at least, and it seemed like she could barley move out of the throne she sat in due to her weight.
Standing just behind her were four card soldiers. As they entered, White noticed a card soldier on the left and right of the entrance. They did not look at them as they came, rather kept their faces starring straight ahead. Besides that the throne room was empty. The soldiers brought them forward. The Captain stood just slightly ahead of them.
"Your majesty." he said,with a bow.
The Queen, who had just then realized that they had entered the room gave a small smile. "Captain. What is it you have brought before me?"
The Captain cleared his throat first, before finally saying. "These two have broken proclamation 263. Illegally entering the world, and failing to meet mercenary standards."
The Red Queen's eyes narrowed. "I see..." She said her voice drifting. She looked the two of them up and down. White couldn't deny that she held a sort of authority around her that only kings and queens had. "And your recommendation Captain?"
Glancing back towards the two of them, White tried to give the Captain a pleading look. They didn't want to leave. They had things to do here. And one of the main problems was standing right before them. White wished he had his blade, he'd have charged right ahead.
"I recommend they be returned from where they came."
The Red Queen nodded. "Perhaps... Well what do you have to say for you and your friend young man?" The question was posted to Darius.
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Post by Sprow on Jun 11, 2012 2:32:59 GMT -5
Darius said nothing as he and White were finally brought into the throne room. After what happened last night, he wasn't really in the mood to admire the scenery. He pretty much dreaded what was about to happen to them as they got closer to where the Red Queen would be. She was said to be a petty woman. He wouldn't doubt it if he and White got their heads cut off for simply not even knowing about her law.
When they got into the throne room and he found her there sitting on her throne, he wasn't all that surprised by her appearance. Darius, of course, didn't let this show on his face when they were brought before her though. He just simply watched and listened as the captain spoke to her. The Queen wished to know what they were brought before her for, as if she relished the idea of something more bothersome to give an "off with your head" ruling on, only for him to state that they had broken her law of coming before her being new to this area.
Darius wondered why she had asked the captain what punishment he'd give them. Was that her way of testing her captain? If so, Darius wasn't sure how these soldiers put up with being around her so much. Darius was sure he'd end up with stomach problems if he were around someone like this twenty four seven.
When next she spoke, she directed her words to Darius. 'Why does everyone look to me and not White?' he wondered. He didn't complain though. Darius wasn't sure what White would have done if her words had been directed at him instead. "...We're sorry for walking into your kingdom unspoken for, your highness. We're new to these parts and didn't know of your law and apologize for the trouble. Although, once we would have learned of it, we would have preferred to come before you at a time where you were not asleep and not where we'd inconvenience you, your majesty. We're just mercenaries that had come to aid in your search for the White Queen." Really, Darius wasn't sure if she'd buy it but he tried.
Honestly, he wondered where Arya was with their weapons and Mr. Thomas. It didn't look like any of them were here. Had they given up? If the Queen seemed intent on killing them here though, Darius still had one more trick up his sleeve. None of them here knew who that dragon lady was but did know of her. Darius knew that the dragon woman had been Ivory after what he had seen. He wouldn't be lying about it if he had to use that but he preferred not to. That was admitting what Ivory had done and become.
"We're grateful that you're allowing us to come before you and granting us permission to speak to you, your majesty, and allow us to at least explains ourselves." Might as well stroke her ego a bit. It might help getting them away from the threat of having their heads removed from their shoulders. Darius hoped to the gods that be that White knew enough not to make any obvious disagreements with what he had just said. Right now,any cards they pulled would work and it was hard enough as it is without anything getting blown.
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