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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2013 1:03:26 GMT -5
Infusca sat upon her throne of skeletons. By this, she actually sat upon a throne made up of the skeleton of human bodies. The skeletons seemed to have been pushed together to the point where there skeleton bodies were hard pressed against each other in some cruel form of torture. They were positioned in ways that a human could never position their body without pain. Yet somehow they stayed and Infusca sat upon them.
Dressed in black pants, a black coat with red sleeves, one red gloved hand tapped on a skeleton's flat hand that made up part of an arm rest of her throne while the other clutched a long black staff where a glowing blue skeleton made of fire burned in a skeleton's rib cage. Her long black hair was black except for where her hair rose in two separate points to make the appearance of horns on her head. There the hair was blood red.
The throne she sat on a slightly raised platform in the back of a large circular room with a floor made of black stone. Torches positioned around the room illuminated various other humans and figures who stood to the edges. Everyone pretended to watch the same scene she did: two skeleton soldiers with shield and sword circling each other in a duel. Infusca was aware of each and every member of her self-created court. If she wanted to she could actually close her eyes and still be able to tell where every person stood due to her connection with her.
All of the people here were as long dead as the soldiers who fought against one another in the center of the room. The winner of this match would be granted the return of his flesh. It was a promising gift, and one that the dead actually seemed to care about. As for the looser... well she was going to need to replace a section of her throne soon.
"Enough!" She suddenly shouted. She was long getting bored with this match. There was just so many matches one could watch before this game grew old. What would her mother think of her if she was alive still today? Despite her twenty year old appearance, Infusca was fifty years old. Her mother would have been sickened to see her daughter sitting upon a throne in an abandoned evil castle.
"I did not go to war to leave you to sit and play games like a child!" That was what she would have said if she were alive today. Her mother would have not stuck to this castle like a frightened child. Even though she knew this though she continued to stay.
Her mother had died in the war. She had fought for the Emperor and the Emperor had lost. Now she was the only one left. Most likely she was the only necromancer left in the entire universe. But what was there left to do? Go to the Castle of Light where the king would send his soldiers against her the moment she stepped into the castle? There was no hiding in plain sight anymore for her. Not since what happened twenty years ago.
"So you sit here. How despicable!" A voice spoke. Infusca rolled her eyes. She should have known better then to think about the dead. A necromancer had a very powerful connection with the realm of the dead. All she had to do was think about her mother and her ghost had come. She wouldn't manifest, but she was here. Infusca could feel her.
"Go away mother." She said softly. In the center, one of the skeletons accomplished a pivotal move where he managed to break his opponent's shield. Those who stood around cheered.
"You sit here on your throne and waste your power like nothing. I did not raise you to be like this."
Rolling her eyes, Infusca tapped her fingers slightly quicker out of annoyance. "And what would you have me do then mother."
"You grow slack sitting here! You don't even notice when someone has stepped into your domain! You worthless child!"
Someone stepping into her... Infusca shut her eyes and opened her senses. Through them she could see everything that sat and stood in her domain. Of course it required closing her eyes to everything else to do. It seemed her mother had been right, which surprised her. Infusca watched three people stand up and gaze towards her castle. Two younger female humans and one older male human. It seemed things were about to get interesting once more.
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One moment Lara had been falling. The next she found herself landing on her but. Thankfully the fall was only about three feet. Still did hurt though. Wincing, Lara forced herself back to her feet and searched for the elf. He had been right in front of them a second ago before the ground had opened below their feet. Lara had never experienced a portal before, so she had no idea what had happened.
Looking around, Lara thought she must be seeing some illusion made by the elf. She, Rekka, and Bartimaeus had fallen into what looked like another world. They were on some sort of tall cliff where the cliff expanded into a natural land bridge that connected to a mountain. A black castle has been built right into the side of the mountain, supported by the natural foundations of it.
If this really was an illusion, it was very detailed. Looking into the area, one could see only a white mist that hid the ground around the land bridge and forbidding mountain. "Please tell me you guys see the elf and not this vast haunting looking place." Turning around, Lara did look behind her, where a dark cavern waited for them if they so chose. Of course they really couldn't choose it because it was covered in green ivy and thorns.
Bartimaeus, who had risen to his feet, was rubbing his sore bottom. If it bothered the middle age man that he was doing it in front of young women he did not let it on. "Oh my. I do believe that we have been portaled to a different world Captain. And if I didn't know any better I'd say this is the Forbidden Mountain. Not a really plesent place according to the books. Its been sealed off for twenty years now."
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Post by Sprow on Mar 5, 2013 1:48:33 GMT -5
Rekka had felt her heart skip a beat the moment they began to fall. Were they going to die? Well, the answer to that had depended on their shift from one world to the next. Before she could begin to fully grasp the fact they had been falling, Rekka found herself landing in a heap on the ground. The fall she had was just about three feet and because she had been falling forward, Rekka landed on her stomach. Wincing, she pushed herself up.
As she looked all around her, she found Lara and Bartimaeus. Well, that was relieving. They might have lost their way but they were together. At least she wouldn't have to worry about having to try and find them. Getting to her feet, Rekka brushed herself off. The armor that had appeared on her body before during the fight with the Heartless had gone away. Only her regular armor remained. Rekka couldn't help but wonder about it since she wasn't sure how the armor came to her from the beginning. It wasn't a full armor but it had been something to suddenly find she had some type of extra protection that she didn't even know she had.
Finishing brushing herself off, Rekka heard Bartimaeus and Lara speak. Paying attention to their surroundings, Rekka could see an eerie looking castle in the distance. Just where were they? It wasn't comforting hearing what Bartimaeus had to say about the place.
"Well...maybe we can portal out? I have-!" Rekka began as she started fishing through her pockets. Her heart gave a leap. She had forgotten the portal beans back at the barracks! "Aw, man!" she grumbled as she pat herself down in search for them but with no such luck. "I would have been able to portal us out of here...unfortunately, I had left my portal beans back in the barracks in my room!" she said with an exasperated sigh. Damn her misfortune! Damn their misfortune!
Rekka walked over to the other two and looked out at the castle and then behind them. They couldn't go backward from the look of things. She very much didn't wish to get caught up in those thorns, that was for sure. "...Are we to head toward that castle then?" Rekka inquired.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2013 9:02:35 GMT -5
Lara was not at all pleased with where they had ended up. From what Bartimaeus was saying this place did not sound safe at all! "After everything we had to do to get there and now were on a whole different world!" She exclaimed in frustration. Lara wanted to pound her fist into something in anger.
Ty and Justin had both died on this journey to no where. Lara was upset, angry, and overall just plainly pissed. Vaguely Lara heard Rekka's question. Bartimaeus was the one to answer her. "That is something we could do. Personally I don't think we'd be able to physically leave this place because its sealed off. We'd have to um... defeat... whomever had placed those in the path."
Bartimaeus had turned around to point to the ivy covering the cave Lara had noticed before. Holding out her hand, she summoned her axe. Gaia felt comfortable in her hand when it appeared. Without saying a word she walked right up to the ivy. "Um... I'd not do..." Bartimaeus started to say when Lara swung her axe with all her might at the ivy.
As the axe traveled in an arc it was suddenly met with a very firm resistance an inch away from the ivy. Lara felt some sort of force push back against her. It continued to push so long as she did until she couldn't push a moment longer. Breathing heavily she lowered her hand.
"Damn it all! Why'd they send me on this stupid mission in the first place?" Lara was very much regretting all of this.
With a sigh she regained her composure and joined Bartimaeus and Rekka. If they stared at her, she ignored their stares. "So what do we have to defeat?"
Bartimaeus looked over to the castle built into the mountain on his right. "A necromancer supposedly."
"Just bloody perfect."
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Post by Sprow on Mar 5, 2013 14:24:34 GMT -5
Rekka didn't exactly like the area they were in either. Some place that was closed off for twenty years surely had a reason to be blocked off. As she stood there, she heard Lara speaking. She glanced at the ground as Lara fumed about the fact they hd been so close only to get sent to another world. As Bartimaeus responded to her question, Rekka turned to look over at him. As he spoke, she then turned her attention on the ivy.
Defeat? Defeat what? As she was thinking this, Lara then decided to try and hack away at the vines. The very unpleasant and solid looking vines. Bartimaeus went to tell her something about not doing when Lara found out the hard way that she couldn't just simply hack at the vines. Some sort of barrier was preventing her from doing so.
After a moment of trying to push through the barrier, Lara was forced to give up. No matter how hard she tried, the barrier wouldn't falter. It was clear that Lara was pretty upset by their fortune. Rekka couldn't blame her for being upset. Their travel companions had lost their lives and their efforts of getting to where they needed to go had ben all for naught because of that elf that teleported them!
Lara brought up the subject of what or who they were to defeat. Rekka had wondered the same thing as she looked over at the bard. The bard looked over at the castle and then mentioned they would probably have to defeat a necromancer. Lara had replied to that with obvious sarcasm. Rekka gave a sigh.
"We just can't get a break, can we?" Rekka stated.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2013 20:21:11 GMT -5
Lara glanced over at Rekka. She was definitely right about them not getting a break. Every time Lara thought things were going well they ended up getting flipped around. "There is always a pro to every con. It is we who chose which light to see things in my dear. I for instance am very excited to see something that has been kept away from the rest of the universe for so long. Who knows what we might find ahead hmm?"
It was clear that Bartimaeus was trying to make the situation lighter. Lara just wasn't in the mood for it. "Let's get this over with already. We still have to somehow make it back to Elfenhiem." Letting her axe rest on her shoulder, Lara headed towards the land bridge.
"So what sort of enemies do you suppose we will run into along the way?" Bartimaeus posed the question to the entire group. Lara was fairly certain they'd run into some heartless. Perhaps even some nobodies. And who knew what sort of enemies a necromancer might have in store for them.
As she started out into the land bridge, Lara was glad to see that it was wide enough for three people to walk side by side with a little room in between. The width of the land bridge was close to ten feet or so. "Nothing friendly, that's for sure. Let's be on our guard."
If they were to get into a battle Lara wouldn't be able to fall into Rekka's blind spot as easy as she had their last battle. Still Rekka had done well on her own. Lara thought she showed real promise. And there was no better experience then real life experience.
"The story goes that this place was once the home of a mighty witch hundreds upon hundreds of years ago. They said that she kidnapped the princess and cast the entire world into a dreamless sleep. Only a Prince was unaffected by the sleep. He rode his mighty stead and faced the witch head on. The story also mentions something about him facing a dragon, but I think that is most likely just added fantasy."
Lara glanced over to Bartimaeus. The bard really did like telling his stories. He seemed to know a lot about everything.
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Post by Sprow on Mar 6, 2013 9:02:12 GMT -5
Rekka looked over at Bartimaeus when he spoke. "Some things are best left unseen." That had been her only response to what he had said. How he could be optimistic about the situation, she didn't know but she didn't feel the same about all this. She'd rather be out of here back at the barracks or visiting her mother to see how she was fairing. After a moment, Lara told them that they should get it done and over with. As for how they were to make it to Elfenheim, well that was another story.
Lara lead the way toward the land bridge with her axe resting slung over her shoulder. As Rekka began to follow her, not wishing for Lara to go into that creepy place by herself, she heard the bard's question. It was a good one. Rekka had never encountered a necromancer before in her life. What could lie in store for them, she didn't know. It couldn't be good. Especially if this place had been sealed off for so long.
"Nothing good. With this place being closed off for so long, I don't think the necromancer would want to shake hands or have a dinner prty with us." Rekka answered him. Lara had already stated that no doubt something unfriendly waited for them and to keep their guard up. Quietly, Rekka followed the other two onto the land bridge. It didn't feel concerting to her knowing they had no railings. Rekka lingered behind the other two since walking alongside someone on such a thing didn't bode well for her. In fact, she felt very uneasy even trying to walk across the land bridge.
As they went, she heard ahead of her artimaeus talking about the story of this place. Some sort of witch had once lived here and had kidnapped a princess. The whole world had been put into an endless slumber. The only one that wasn't effected had been a prince who fought the witch. There was said to be even a dragon here but the bard claimed it was probably just fantasy.
"Let's hope you're right about tht dragon part!" Rekka retorted. Flames couldn't hurt her but she was sure fighting a large dragon wouldn't be fun. Already, she wanted to leave this creepy place but they were forced to keep going in the direction of the castle. It was the only place that looked like there was anywhere to go in this world. Rekka just hoped that whatever they found wasn't about to eat them whole. She had her share of being attacked for one day.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2013 23:27:06 GMT -5
It was hard to think that after the battle with the heartless and the elf that they would have to walk into danger once more. Lara had known that getting into Elfenhiem would be dangerous. But once inside she had thought that the danger would be less. It had been a long time since she had last been in the village, but from what Amber did remember were mostly good memories.
They had gotten so close to the kingdom too. Now they literally had fallen into a whole new set of danger. Potentially this held the same amount of danger that the journey to the kingdom had held. So Lara's thoughts were very similar to Rekka's. Neither of them just happened to know it.
"Just how much information does that brain of yours actually have bard?" Lara asked in a slightly mocking manner as they walked. They were getting closer and closer to the other side of the land bridge. Already Lara could make out a pathway that climbed along the mountain. Even though it spiraled around the mountain as it climbed, Lara could see that it ended at the large gates of the castle.
Bartimaeus did not seem to hear the mocking tone in Lara's voice for he answered her as if it was a simple inquiry. "Quite a lot actually. But there is always room for more. I make it a goal of mine to never stop learning about the universe around me. It's a good goal to have, if I do say so myself. It helps me even look at our situation here with a chance for opportunity."
Well it did explain why Bartimaeus wasn't as annoyed as probably Lara and Rekka were about this situation. Personally Lara never had anything against people who always looked at the "good side" of things. But certainly too much of it could be a bad thing, couldn't it?
"Well so long as you have our backs." She told him.
Bartimaeus raised an eyebrow at her. "Why don't you trust me Captain? Rekka, you trust me don't you?" Coming to a slight pause, Lara was happy to see that they had made it across the land bridge. Before them was the winding path that traveled around the mountain as it climbed.
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Post by Sprow on Mar 7, 2013 0:11:22 GMT -5
Rekka did her best to not look at the sides of the land bridge. It made her uneasy knowing she was so far up with the potential to trip. Oh god, help her if she tripped and fell off the side! Rekka was now behind Lara and Bartimaeus. What they were saying in front of her, she really couldn't pay much attention to. She wanted to but the idea of falling was what filled her mind. It made her nervous knowing how high up they were. She barely managed to get her legs moving she was so scared of the thought of falling.
'One step at a time, Rekka. One step at a time!' Rekka thought nervously. As she focused on that, she hardly registered the conversation before her. Each step was almost painful for Rekka. Not painful in the sense that she was actually feeling pain. It was more so on a psychological level. Where Lara and Bartimaeus didn't seem to mind the height underneath the bridge that could easily fall under them, Rekka was scared of it. The sooner they got off of it the better.
Rekka would have tried to run if the fear of tripping and falling to her demise didn't creep up on her. Her heart hammered in her ribcage as she went. By the time she heard the bard address her, Rekka took pause as if she were a deer caught in the headlights of a car. Just what was the question about trust all of a sudden?
The red haired girl blinked at the bard for a short moment before deciding on an answer. In order to keep her voice from shaking so as to not alert the others to her fear of the land bridge, she breathed.
"I...want to trust you...you did earn some trust when you saved us...but we barely know much about you. Shouldn't comrades know more about each other?" That was the best answer she could come up with. She knew they could at least trust Bartimaeus enough to fight alongside them but other than that, she wasn't sure who he was. All they knew was he had a name, could fight and was quite a strange bard.
"If it helps...I trust you in battle alongside us." When their attention wasn't on her again, Rekka started to walk again doing her best to not focus on the land bridge or the frightening sight of the dip on either side should someone be unfortunate enough to fall.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2013 0:33:11 GMT -5
Listening to Bartimaeus's question, Lara wasn't too sure how to answer that one. In truth they had just met Bartimaeus. Lara had at least been through a couple of different things with Rekka. In addition the girl had started her training under the Army. She had been doing well until Lara had pulled her out for the mission to the elves. If she hadn't perhaps she'd have been better off.
Thankfully Rekka's answer pretty much said things as they were. "Rekka said it perfectly. We know nothing about you Bartimaeus. Rekka's a soldier of the army. I've known her longer then you."
Crossing his arms, Bartimaeus seemed angry at their words. What else could they say though? Rekka had said it like it was. They knew almost nothing about him. "Well fine then, I'll just head over to where we were and wait there. Don't want to go where I ain't wanted."
Suddenly turning around, Lara watched Bartimaeus in surprise. Was he being serious? She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. She was just being truthful. Lara glanced over at Rekka confused as to what to do.
The bard held his head high in an heightened manner, almost as if to say that he was better then they. He walked right past Rekka and suddenly came to a halt after having passed her. He then spun around again and let out a snort and laughter followed.
"You two should see your faces! I'm just kidding!" Lara nervously laughed along, glad that Bartimaeus hadn't really been serious.
"What you said is certainly understandable. I'd probably say the same if I were in your shoes. Let's start our way up that mountain then shall we? After you Captain."
Lara really did not understand the bard at all. Nor did she really find his joke humorous. Perhaps the bard was just trying to lighten the situation, but Lara was not seeing it at all. This was not a time to be making jokes. Their situation was pretty serious. Lara wasn't going to say anything about it though. She simply turned back and started walking the path up the mountain.
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Post by Sprow on Mar 7, 2013 2:00:47 GMT -5
Rekka didn't once blame Lara for their ill fortune. If anything, she blamed their luck. No matter where they turned, whenever they thought they had the upper hand, fate threw them another curve ball and they found themselves in another mess. How they were going to get back, she didn't have a clue. All she knew was that she needed to stick to Bartimaeus and Lara in this. If they believed heading to that dangerous looking castle was their only option then she would follow them. Rekka wouldn't leave allies behind. Besides, there was safety in numbers. Especially for someone like her whom only had one eye and therefore, a blind spot. Eventually, Rekka hoped to be able to sense in that area if there was an enemy in her blind spot. Until then, she had to rely on those around her to help her with that particular area.
She was a little surprised when Lara admitted that what she had said was pretty much what Lara would have said, herself. The two young girls knew nothing of Bartimaeus where as they knew each other a bit better than they did the bard. Rekka gave a nod at what Lara had said. It had been true. Bartimaeus though didn't look the least bit happy about what they were saying. He had folded his arms looking angry.
Sure enough, the bard spoke. Rekka blinked as the middle aged man pretty much declared that he would be heading back and that he didn't want to go where he wasn't wanted. Without further to do, Bartimaeus turned right around. The movement startled Rekka into abruptly stopping in her tracks. The result almost had her skid a foot on the land bridge. The motion had made her heart leap with the sudden jolt and surprise that frightened her. Lara turned about to look at the bard as he started to head back from whence they came. Rekka took her eyes then off of Bartimaeus to look back at Lara. She didn't think such a thing would insult him. Only time could tell for sure if someone could trust someone.
"U-Um..."
Rekka was at a loss for words as the bard walked purposefully past her. The way he strode seemed arrogant too as if he were insulting them for what they had done just by walking. Suddenly, she heard him stop in his footsteps. Turning to see him better, she saw the bard turn about and let out some laughter. Rekka gave him a blank look before he finally mocked how their faces had looked when he declared that he was leaving. It had been a joke. Lara just gave a nervous laugh while Rekka was silent. She frowned over at him before he finally spoke. Bartimaeus agreed that if he were in their shoes that he would have said the same.
Well, at least the bard wasn't leaving their company but now Rekka had to wonder about him. His sense of humor wasn't exactly that funny when it came to these sort of things. Still, she wasn't one to reprimand an adult unless they brought up the topic about her eyeball again. Sighing to herself, lightly shaking her head, Rekka saw Lara starting to head toward the mountain that the bard mentioned.
"You...are something else...Bartimaeus..." Rekka had left it at that before she unintentionally insulted him. What she said had been true though. The bard was definitely different than they were. Almost too different at times. Heck, he even acted like a child sometimes when excited about a topic and rattled on about it for a time. Rekka hadn't forgotten the fact that he had almost talked her ears off about the elves and Elfenheim. Were they going to ever get there? Well, Rekka didn't know but she hoped they'd find a means to get off this creepy world they were stuck on now. Where ever else they ended up couldn't possibly be much worse...could it?
'...As soon as I find some bit of wood, I'd better rap my knuckles on it and knock otherwise I wouldn't want for us to be jinxed because of such thoughts.' The group had made it to the end of the land bridge and were now gradually making their way up the path on the mountain toward the castle. It still looked quite a ways for them to reach.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2013 23:50:38 GMT -5
Lara continued walking, but she heard Rekka's response to Bartimaeus. "More like a child, that's what he is." She thought to herself. She wasn't going to say something else though. Despite his tendency to talk to much, and apparently play jokes at the wrong time, Bartimaeus had saved them from the goblins. Lara hadn't forgotten that.
"Well I hope it's a good something." The bard said as he hurried his steps to fall in behind Rekka. He brought up the rear of there party.
At the head of it Lara felt the ground begin to steadily rise. It wasn't at such an angle that it required a massive amount of energy. At least not yet anyway. "Perhaps the necromancer isn't aware of our arrival yet... I've been wondering why we haven't faced any enemies yet."
Lara rolled her eyes. "That's fine by me. The less enemies the better. I don't like this place at all." Looking up at the sky, Lara eyed the picture it painted. Directly above them the sun struggled to shine between a single tormenting gray cloud. Dark gray clouds covered the majority of the sky, except for the very center. It was almost as if the sun was the remaining platoon in a battle where they were surrounded by enemies. They were still alive, but things were looking awfully grey.
"Would you like to hear a story about a mountain dragon in the World of Dragons?" Bartmaeus asked both of them.
Personally Lara wasn't in the mood for a story. She wanted to get to their destination and be done with things. In actuality she wanted silence. She wanted some time to pander her own thoughts. But if Rekka wanted to hear a story Lara didn't want to shut down the idea. She'd let her answer first.
If she had though was lost to Lara because she was forced to come to a halt. A sudden movement from above caught her attention. A moment later, Lara was barley rising her axe up in a slash to meet a familiar blue sword that arced towards her head. The owner of the sword was an Invisible heartless, the familiar flying heartless that they had battled back in the forest. The major difference though was the lack of scribbles that had covered the two in the forest. Additionally when Lara met the oncoming weapon she was surprised to find a more powerful hand behind the enemy. This heartless was a pure blooded heartless, and stronger.
Their blades locked in a contest of power, Lara did not see two more of the fiends swoop down behind her to attack Bartimaeus and Rekka.
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Post by Sprow on Mar 9, 2013 18:21:19 GMT -5
Rekka had been more polite to not say anything rude at the time even though she considered it. She hadn't forgotten that Bartimaeus had saved their lives during that goblin situation. Lara and Rekka had been the only two lucky enough to survive it. Would they be twice as lucky? Well, she wasn't so sure. e again, she had that disconcerting feeling that they were walking to their doom. What lay in store for them, she had a feeling that it couldn't be good. s she heard Bartimeus speak, Rekka chose to not answer. It would be polite to not do so.
As the bard fell in step behind her, Rekka kept her focus ahead of them. Now that they made it off the land bridge, she was able to find better mobility in her legs again. It was a great relief to be off of it. While they walked upward, Rekka heard Bartimaeus. Now that he had pointed that out, she couldn't help but wonder. Hearing Lara's response, Rekka wasn't as optimistic.
"We could be walking right into a trap. Or they might just be waiting for us at the end in ambush."
Out of the blue, as was Bartimaeus's custom, the bard asked them if they would like to hear a story about a dragon. "Hm...sure, why not?" Rekka would appreciate a bit of a distraction to what they were walking toward. It would at least keep her from allowing herself to lower into a world of dread. Plus, what was it about this dragon that was a mountain dragon? She knew if she didn't listen that she'd never find out.
Eventually, depending on the story Bartimaeus gave, Rekka would only jut notice something was wrong when Lara in front of them stopped abruptly. Only then would the enemies strike. Rekka heard it before it came to her. It had bee lucky her only eye was on the side where she could see their foes coming at them. Unsheathing her father's word, Rekka ducked to avoid the aerial strike aimed at her before turning on the spot. There, she found a Heartless. It hadn't been anything like the ones they fought. This was a normal, pure blood Heartless. It didn't look friendly and it certainly wasn't weak.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2013 18:16:09 GMT -5
Bartimaeus had not started his story just yet. He either didn't have a chance to or had noticed something amiss. Lara had no time to eye her friends though. She was busy with her own opponent. And boy was he tough! Lara found herself scowling in annoyance and anger as she battled.
She had enough strength in her bones to shove the descending blade back up. Then she followed it up with a quick swing towards the creature's middle section since pretty much anything else was out of reach with it floating in the air. However unlike the heartless they faced before, this one deflected her attack. There were no emotions or anger in the heartless. The creatures did not possess such a heart to have any. Instead pure instinct drove these creatures. They wanted their hearts and were intelligent enough to protect their own hides.
She traded strikes with the creature, finding herself having to extend her reach when the heartless used its wings to simply dodge her attack and responded with a backlash at her with its sword. She was getting no where with this enemy. Perhaps either Rekka or Bartimaeus would favor better in their battle. Then perhaps one of them could help her.
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Bartimaeus hadn't planned on actually incorporating music or magic in his story. In a place like this that wasn't wise. He was simply going to tell them a tale while they walked. However he never got the chance too. Even before Lara stopped his body suddenly tensed up. It was an action that only happened when danger was near. Unlike his musical magic, this sense was not an ability in a sense. It was better to say that it was something that had developed after years of training, fighting, and battling.
As the heartless swopped down to attack them Bartimaeus the Gentle Bard, a title that had been bestowed upon him by the King of the Enchanted Domain, disappeared. Twice in one day Bartimaeus allowed himself to become Bartimaeus the Bloody, the title that many of his friends had known him as during that dark war.
The sword came at him from his side. Bartimaeus didn't see it per say, but his body responded. His hand drew the hunting dagger that had become his weapon for the last fifteen years. The heartless's sword met only open air as Bartimaeus stepped behind the heartless.
It didn't matter that the weapon in his hand was a dagger and not the heavy blade that had been his weapon of choice. He used the weapon with the same grace that he could his old weapon. Fifteen years of using it in battle made him pretty good at using it. His strike struck the heartless in three different areas before it could have even turned around. By the time it started to darkness was seething from the three large gashes that Bartimaeus had cut.
Bartimaeus could not reach up and puncture the heartless's chest because it was hovering just out of his reach on the ground. Bartimaeus though didn't need to reach it from the ground to punch it up through the air. With a thump it stabbed the heartless where a heart should have been if it had one. That was all it took to defeat the creature as it disrupted into particles and freeing the hearts that it was made of.
Having finished his battle, Bartimaeus turned towards the girls. He would see if any of them needed his help.
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Post by Sprow on Mar 12, 2013 0:07:28 GMT -5
The Heartless that Rekka turned to meet had moved out of sword's reach. Since it was a winged creature, hitting it would be more difficult. She'd have to take careful aim. Ever since she knew that she could use fire, Rekka tried to familiarize herself more with the feeling. Extending a hand at it, she procured a fire ball. The Heartless wasn't stupid though, it swerved out of the way of the oncoming fire ball.
In its distraction, it had dipped towards the ground a bit in Rekka's reach. Seeing this opportunity, Rekka lunged for it. The attack caught the Heartless a little by surprise as Rekka clashed weapons with it. The momentum behind her blade had sent the thing reeling back a bit when it parried her attack.
Everyone in the area was doing their own song and dance with their foes. Through the time she spent trying to strike the Heartless she was fighting, Rekka had obtained a few scratches but nothing that would warrant tending to. She had at least managed to burn the thing a couple of times. The burns had seemed to slow it down in the air, making fighting her own Heartless somewhat easier.
Eventually, the thing decided to dive right for her! Rekka braced herself as she brought up her father's sword to block the attack. Since the goblin episode and the other Heartless episode, Rekka had earned some experience in fighting. She was a little better than she used to be but only a little. Blocking the thing's attack, she shoved with all her might. It made little progress and the Heartless was still pushing back hard on her. Rekka allowed herself to fall backward and roll to let the thing lose its balance. When it did, it collided with the nearby wall as she got back to her feet.
The thing's back was entirely exposed to her as, in its disorientation, it made to move. Rekka didn't hesitate a moment further as she jabbed it in the back of the head. The Heartless dispersed immediately. "Whew!" Rekka stated before turning toward the others. Bartimaeus had finished his own battle and Lara was looking like she needed some help. Extending a hand, she waited for there to be an opening before shooting a fire ball at the Heartless. It was a basketball sized fire ball so the damage that would do would be minimal but it may earn Lara an advantage over it if Rekka managed to distract it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2013 21:29:40 GMT -5
Help did come to Lara. It came during another exchange of swords with the enemy. She had managed to break another attack, using her axe like a hook around her enemy's sword. With a pull, the heartless was left with the choice of either dropping its weapon, or lowering it and flying out of reach. Choosing the second, as Lara had anticipated it would, she aimed an upward cut.
The enemy flew back to avoid the attack and in the process got side winded by a baseball size fireball. It wasn't the strongest of attacks, but it surprised the heartless. It succeeded in forcing it to the left and down onto the ground. This was the opening Lara needed. She aimed a forward strike right at the exposed back of the heartless.
There wasn't a feeling of her sword striking flesh, but there was the familiar resistance of her weapon hitting an enemy. The heartless didn't scream, but she was sure it would if it could. Finishing off the enemy by beheading it, she was left to stand in the floating hearts as they whisked away. Her breathing was heavy and her muscles sore.
"Good to see that there aren't anymore of them." Bartimaeus's voice came from behind her. Letting the axe fall on her shoulder she turned to stare at her companions. They both looked alright, in fact they looked in better shape than she did.
"Well let's not wait around and find out. I assume that was you who shot the fireball Rekka?" If so Lara wanted to thank her. It had given her the opening she needed.
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Post by Sprow on Mar 12, 2013 22:26:25 GMT -5
Rekka was glad to see her little diversion work. As soon as the fire ball took the Heartless off guard, she knew the attack itself wouldn't have killed the thing, Lara took advantage of the opening that Rekka provided for her. As soon as she was able, she had rushed over and gave it the old one, two. Before long, hearts were set free and Lara turned to the rest of them.
Bartimaeus spoke, announcing to them that there looked to be no more than that. Maybe it was a test to see how they would handle a Heartless attack? At least, that's what it felt like since there had only been three Heartless here to attack them. She figured that much if the Necromancer were truly aware of them and making preparations for their arrival. Rekka wasn't sure what else would lay in store for them but it worried her.
When Lara next spoke, she gave a nod to both. "Yeah, I'm not sure how I'm able to all of a sudden but might as well put this new ability to good use."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2013 17:53:34 GMT -5
Lara gave Rekka a smile. "Well it sure helped give me the opening I needed."
"The discovery of new abilities is always a time for celebration." Bartimaeus added after Lara had thanked her.
If things were a bit more upbeat Lara might have been in the mood for a celebration. She didn't want to stay in the same spot though. Not when they had just been attacked by heartless. "Let's get moving. I don't want to run into any more of those if I can help it."
Lara didn't wait for an answer. She just started walking. She was the Captain of this group after all. She naturally gave orders and people followed. It was what she was used too. So she started continuing up the path once more. Bartimaeus followed, gazing over at Rekka and giving her a smile of his own.
"Would you still like to hear the story of the mountain dragon Rekka? It is a fascinating tale. You'll have to decide if it's historical or not."
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Post by Sprow on Mar 13, 2013 23:44:41 GMT -5
Rekka smiled in return when she heard Lara's claim that the fire ball had helped her. That's what Rekka had been aiming for. "I'm glad that it had helped. It didn't kill the Heartless but at least it distracted it enough for you. You're welcome." Then, Bartimaeus spoke up and Rekka turned her head to better see him. Celebrate? She wasn't sure that this would be a good time for celebrating. Even the notion of celebrating such a thing boggled her. Not that she wouldn't celebrate, it was just odd for her to do so since she had never done so before.
Without waiting, Lara had told them to continue on. Hearing what she said after it, Rekka inwardly agreed with her. She,too, didn't want to run into anymore of those kind of Heartless. As prompted, Rekka had followed Lara's lead without complaint. She was just as eager to leave this world as she was that dreadful forest before coming here.
Sensing that someone or something was watching her, Rekka looked about until she spotted Bartimaeus. At that, he spoke to her asking if she would still like to hear that tale. It wasn't sure if the story were fact or fiction but would be left for the listener to decide. Rekka returned a smile. Ever since they met the bard and got to know him better, Rekka had more respect for him. He was unique but he wasn't rotten like she thought he was before when he had asked her about her eye.
"If you're still willing to tell it, then yes, please." She could use a story to take her mind temporarily off of possible doom.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2013 10:37:07 GMT -5
Lara, ahead of everyone, rolled her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood for a tale, but perhaps it would speed up time. Bartimaeus responded to Rekka, "Oh I'm always ready to tell a tale, dear."
He cleared his throat and Lara found her mind slowly drifting into an almost slumber state. It wasn't as strong as the magic that had taken a hold of them around that camp fire. However their was a natural magic in Bartimaeus that came out when he spoke. Lara found that under this magic it was easy to picture the scene that he painted for them with his words.
"Once there was an old man who lived at the foot of a mountain. He was a gentle man who lived alone in a single hut located miles from the nearest village. His wife had passed away many winters ago. His children were all grown and spread across the world in various different villages.
"Despite his old age the old man was a strong willed man who thought himself fully capable of taking care of himself. After all he had survived the war against the Mongolians, a vicious people who had sought to take over all of China! He had fought along side the great generals of the time, even receiving a medal of honor.
"Yet the old man was troubled by the people from the nearest village. The mayor there was a friend of his children. He came to the old man every weekend to try and convince him to leave his home and come live with him in the village.
"'You're getting old, old man. What would Natsu think were he here? He would not want his father to live alone near such a dangerous place.' He once again tried to convince the old man, using his son as a reference in his words.
"The old man gave the Mayor a 'Bah!' followed by a passive wave of the arm. He had lived here for twenty years now. There were heartless and such, but never had he really encountered any trouble that he could not handle. 'The day I can't take care of myself is the day I die!'
"The Mayor turned to leave, once again having failed to keep his promise to his childhood friend. 'This mountain is cursed old man. Stay too much longer and the dragon will come and eat you.' Everyone had heard the tales of how a dragon lived at the top of the mountain. Of course none had ever seen such a dragon, but anything that might be said to convince the old man to leave would help.
"Having left the old man returned to his home to cook his dinner. That night the Mayor returned, but unknown to the old man. He came with a group of other men from the village and with them came the annual dragon costume. The costume was often used to celebrate the new year in a parade. There were poles and such to lift the dragon and make it seem like it was alive. The Mayor had a single plan in mind. He would come here every night to scare the old man while he slept. Eventually he would be so scared he'd leave.
"As the night passed they waited till they could hear the sleeping snores of the old man from the inside. They then hid in the bushes by the old man's bedroom window. Then together they made a loud roar, mimicking a dragon. The old man leaped out of bed and looked absolutely frightened by the sudden appearance of the dragon at his window.
"Rushing past they disappeared farther into the forest before the old man could even walk over to the window. They used the old man's age and lack of speed to flee into the night. The next day the Mayor returned and once more asked the old man to live with him. Surprisingly the old man stubbornly refused once more.
"Days turned into weeks which turned into a month. Every night the Mayor and his men returned and succeeded in scaring the old man. Yet still he continued to refuse. One day the Mayor returned to the old man's hut. He knocked on the old man's door and this time was surprised to see that no one answered it.
"Knowing there was no lock on the door, he opened it and called for the old man. He did not receive an answer. The Mayor searched the whole house, but did not find the old man. 'Perhaps he went into the village.' He thought. The Mayor made his way back to the village.
"The old man however had not returned to the village. He had finally had enough of the dragon that haunted him every night. So he began the long climb up the mountain. On his person he wore his old armor and even the sword strapped to his back. He had his trusty cane to help him walk and climb. As he climbed, the age of the old man began to weigh him down. He did not have the strength he had when he was younger. So he was forced to slowly throw away pieces of his armor to continue his climb.
"By the time he came to the cave at the top of the mountain all he had left was his walking stick. The old man was fatigued and worn from his long climb. The sun was setting in the distance, barley clinging to the night sky. The old man stood in front of the cave that was supposed to be the home of the mighty dragon. 'Dragon! I summon thee!'
"And the dragon came forth. A might creature with glowing red scales and a mighty wings. It stood easily over twenty feet tall, and stretched even more then that. It's yellow eyes and black cat like pupils looked down at the old man. 'Have you come to die old man?!'
"The dragon spoke! However the old man was not deterred from his spot. He stood strong. This dragon had tormented him night after night, making it now impossible for him to sleep. He was here to end this torment. 'I will be scared of you no longer!' Then he was eaten by the dragon."
Bartimaeus's tale came to an end. He grew silent, and Lara realized that they had actually come to a stop. They had reached the top of the road where just ahead of them stood the towering black palace. Lara turned to Bartimaeus not really knowing what to say. She had been anticipating a different end to the story then the one Bartimaeus gave.
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Post by Sprow on Mar 15, 2013 13:09:28 GMT -5
Rekka wasn't as hardened as Lara was when it came to the kind of situations they were in. She was frustrated with their situation but also scared. For the sake of the others, she didn't let it show but she was dreading what will happen once they reach that castle in plain sight now. If there really was a Necromancer, she had no idea what they would be faced with but she knew it couldn't be anything good. After all, Necormancers summoned things from the dead, didn't they? Just what would this Necromancer bring back to battle them with?
As Bartimaeus told them the tale, Rekka could find herself picturing the whole thing clearly. It wasn't like that previous tale he had told them of that mute warrior. However, Bartimaeus seemed to have a gift of some kind that permitted others to see the tale he told. There wasan old man living at the foot of the mountain. His family had all since grown up and moved out.
Every year, a mayor would come to visit the old man to try and convince him to come live in the village instead. Living by himself, the mayor believed that the old man would die from the danger around him. However, the old man kept refusing. Eventually, the mayor decided to play a trick to try and get the old man to move to the village. The mayor's heart was in the right place since he had only wanted his friend to move into the village. However, the result he had hoped for was wrong. Instead of the old man moving to the village, he had climbed the mountain to face the dragon at the top of it thinking the real dragon was behind his torment.
As soon as he had reached the top of the mountain, the old man discovered that there really was a dragon at the top. Even though people had never seen it, he had. Unfortunately, he had blamed the real dragon for what the mayor and his aides did and decided to confront the dragon. It had been a terrible mistake since the dragon had supposedly eaten him. Rekka looked over at Bartimaeus confusedly. It sounded like a children's tale really. How could something like that be historic?
"...That's...all?" Rekka had asked him incredulously. She hadn't thought the ending would be like that. Was that really the end of it all? If so, the moral of the story that came to mind was none other than to not use tricks to get one's way. If the mayor hadn't meddled with the old man's life in the fashion that he did, he wouldn't have caused the old man to climb up to his death by the real dragon. The old man would have been fine or at least lasted longer if it weren't for the mayor's meddling.
"...I'm...not sure how that could be historic. Sounds like a story to e that states a couple of morals. One, don't be stubborn. Two, don't meddle in other's affairs. Three, don't lie or scheme to get your way since it may just end up backfiring." She could have missed some but that's all that Rekka could come up with as she gave a shrug. What of the dragon though?
"Thank you, Bartimaeus. I appreciate the story." It had managed to keep her occupied all the way up to the point where they were now finally upon the doorstep of the castle. It towered over them easily and stood there silently. The fact there appeared to be no guards of any kind was unsettling. It really did seem dead.
"I don't suppose we could get away with knocking?" Rekka said sarcastically. (OOC: Hope you don't mind I sped it up a little to the point where we're at the castle. If you needed something to add, I can always change my post so just let me know lol.)
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