Tales of the Betrothed (closed)

[Rada Han]

Angaemeiro, the Maze

Cin, the eldest brother of Dradecus was whisked away, deep into Laelie's entry labyrinth, which was designed to keep intruders out. When he arrived, he arrived seemingly alone, left to wander while mysterious voices echoed with laughter. There was no way to tell where he was. Fog enveloped him like a shroud, but soon enough, he could see the figures of his captors. He would barely be able to see their faces. They circled around him, forbidding him to pass them.

"Your father screwed us over. I should kill you where you stand!" Said an angry, energetic voice. The scraping of blades could be heard from the left side.

"He threw us out, defenseless, but we've found a new home. Somewhere to plan your kingdom's demise." The same voice, and scraping, but to the right side this time.

"They urged us to take Laelie as our own and helped us grow. After this, we may just consider bringing another calamity to Dradecus." Again, it was the same voice, but to another side. He seemed to have been either jumping all over, or the many bodies circling Cin were the very same person.

"All Izar needed was a sacrifice. I should make you the next one. Or perhaps your baby brother?" The voice cackled.


[[OOC: Send me your post first and I will give you the NPC's responses.]]

[Shuttershy]

❀ ѕуℓρнιяα тuulí chrístαllє

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx---- »» princess of lαєlíє

xx❃❂❁✾❃❂❁✾❃❂❁✾❃❂❁✾❃❂❁✾❃❂❁

And just like that, she was gone. The winds continued to rage for but a moment, until they too realized what had happened and began to subside. Slowly, the air calmed, though with it came an eerie silence. A whispering was all that remained. Roughly tossed into a cage like some kind of stray animal, Sylphira hardly had the time or the notion to even consider just how he had gotten so close to her back there. All she could do then was watch as the lackeys tore the palace apart, apparently searching for something. For a short while, she was confused, still trying to reorient herself after the abrupt taking and sudden arrival at the palace. And then there were all of these faeries... who apparently had not been transmuted into insects. A flash of recognition struck her then, and her face flushed with anger. She seemed to be full of it today, though how much of it was her own was uncertain.

Hanzo? After all this time... Sylphira was never quite sure of her mother's need to banish the monarchs, as she was younger then, though she supposed it was due to her unyielding obsession with secrecy. What made even less sense was that the princess could not see how it was their fault they needed to travel to warmer climates. It was a biological need, she assumed, and therefore she had never faulted them for it. Her mother, on the other hand, well, could never be swayed with such explanations. It was something Sylphira was growing to resent her for more and more: her complete fixation of isolation.

As Hanzo turned to address her, Sylphira could only stare in disbelief. As he began to inhale, her disbelief only grew. Why, she herself had considered that very magic to quell the fighting between that damnable Gradian and her own sweet Annabel in Dradecus. Without air for fuel, the monster's flames would be petty, and even Annabel was not as adept with her magics as the princess. In fact, of all the faeries of Laelie, she was likely the most magically inclined, with the probable exception of the Queen. The air was getting thinner, tighter... She decided she would have NONE of this.

Slowly and calmly, Sylphira too began to inhale, as though taking a deep breath. It was slow, and drawn, as she had no idea just how she would contend with one of them. She continued to fight with him, a tug of war over the air around them, until finally, with a twitch of her eye, she became furious over the entire circumstance. In one quick motion, Sylphira forcefully exhaled with one word, and all of the held back air was expelled in a short burst of force.

The monarch exhaled just as sharply, preventing him from falling and prompting only a backward stumble, which seemed to anger him even more. He gripped the spear in his hand just as tightly as the Princess gripped the bars of her cage.

She stood stall, despite her imprisonment. Her knuckles whitened as she clenched the cage. In all truth, she was a mess. Windblown hair covered an almost crazed look in her eyes, and her lip was still bloodied from where she had bit into it earlier.

"You inflict my kingdom with some plight, defile MY palace with your very presence, and then dare to even SPEAK to ME? To THREATEN ME?" Her tiny body trembled, not with fear, but with fury and power, and the surrounding air did so as well. She was well within the confines of her home here, changed as it were. Deep within the forest, she was at her most powerful, and the palace was the heart. The young princess had never known such anger before, and though it was wearing on her, it also seemed to fuel some long-needed venting.

"You presume much, but know NOTHING," she spat, a seething laced her words. "They are none my friends. Are you so stupid to think that if my mother WERE here with us, Laelie would be in this state? I would ask of you the same, though it appears that doing so would give you FAR too much credit. Now release me from this confinement and I shall CONSIDER only having your wings torn off and your wretched child returned to you. I warn you, I am in no mood to be trifled with." Her faced was contorted into a look of pain, anger, and disgust. Hanzo. She had never been particularly fond of him, but she was never particularly fond of any of her betrothed to date. Still, she had never hated him for who he was. But he had gone too far this time. He had crossed a line so delicate, and he was being smug about it. It burned her from the inside out.

With a roar, Hanzo slammed the broad side of his spear into the bars of the cage so hard, it could've taken off Sylphira's fingers. The sound echoed, but his powerful voice dominated over all else. Ordinarily, she would have flinched, recoiled even, but not now, not in her current state. Hanzo had been raised with the intention that he would someday become King. With the monarch's banishment, resentment had taken over. But Sylphira was still the princess. She would decide who would be king.

"You know nothing! You've never left your little forest, while I have seen all of Yardis and the lands beyond the sea. Look at your wings." His nose crinkled at her in disgust. "You're becoming one of them. Another slave. You do not matter anymore. This is my kingdom now. My palace. Izar has made sure of it. You are a fool for believing that your damnable Queen still has power here. Tell us where she fled to, or where her tome is, or your people will suffer the consequences."

She did not back down, but Syphira scowled at his mention of her wings, if only because she could feel it was true. She still had no idea to date why it was happening, but now she only resolved that it was his fault. And he had the nerve to deride her for something of his own doing? And who was Izar? Were she in a more level-headed state, she might have asked.

"You are wrong, yet again, Hanzo," his name she spoke with such distaste, as though she had eaten something terribly poisonous. "You know nothing of me, nor my people, and it seems you never will. Perhaps that is why my mother saw it fit to banish you pathetic wretches in the first place. You had not earned my scorn, until this day. You are a fool for believing you will get away with this. I shall tell you nothing. My people have already suffered at your hands, and it only proves the kind of worthless leader you would turn out to be." She would not tell him she did not know anything about her mother's whereabouts or the tome he was referring to.

"I suppose you no longer care about your personal guard. Very well. I shall see to it that she knows. Huaran!" He called, and one of his men came running. "Send Anna a gift from me." Like that, Huaran disappeared. Hanzo simply stood there staring at the Princess. His face showed such disdain towards her, it was hard to remember that he had also been born in those forests. She, too, showed only contempt for him, though Sylphira found it incredibly difficult not to show her concern for her guard.

Oh Anna... I am so sorry...

.
..
...


Location | Geongbokgung, The Shining Palace | .
Company | Hanzo, Monarch Minions | .
OOC | Annaaaaa x( | .

[Rada Han]

The Stables

Chandar was taken to the stables, which were unusually quiet. The birds had already fled from the area when their people had become insects. There were some dead faerie bodies laying on the ground where the birds used to lay. It was either an accident, where they thought the faeries were food, or self defense.

Either way, they were gone and replaced by a squad of monarchs that were not as heavily armored as the others. Chandar had already been rendered immobile by Liuyuan, due to his command over the plants. The Gradian had been taken hostage by the tree and its vines.
The wizard stood in front of him with fear. "The Gradian Royal Guard, hm? We were instructed by the King to kill you on sight, but we Travelers have other plans that need to dealt with first."

Liu was an older man with a well-aged face. He was draped in prayer beads and had a powerful aura seeping from him. "When you escaped from Bhegin, you took something very important with you. Give it to us, and we will release you. It is as simple as that. If you resist, well... I'm sure the Mahapatras will understand that they never really needed a daughter."

[Overlord Gizmo]

x x x x x x x x x ✗ K o r a x Z h a d d a g h

The two Shastan princesses worked together as everyone fled from the collapsing structure of the mushroom house. Kora rushed out near the front of the group, while Zaara remained behind, bringing up the rear. The bees were everywhere. It was impossible to hear anything else over the angry roars of their buzzing. The two young women used their powers to levitate stones into the air, knocking the massive bees away. Each bee that was hit let out a pained higher pitched buzz, before it was cast away from the fleeing royals. When one of the bees rushed at Kora, beyond the princess’s line of vision, Zaara was quick to knock it away. Once again, the two sisters shared a look. Zaara even gave a half smile to reassure her younger sister. Somewhere, Reriic also used his powers to fend off the bees. When it seemed as though they would be overwhelmed, a violent gust of wind blew a good portion of the bees away. It took only one glance backward to see the enraged faery princess controlling the winds.

The wound on her side drew on her energy, but she did her best to ignore it. They were no longer in danger of being crushed by the falling debris of the mushroom house. But where would they go from here? Kora’s stream of thoughts were cut short, as the baby’s cries grew quiet, and with it, the buzzing of the bees died down. The silence left behind was eery. The princess did not relax at all, as her shoulders remained tense, her small brown hands balled into fists. Crimson eyes scanned the surrounding area, from the injured bees that lay squirming on the ground, to the mournful resting of the others all around them.

When a powerful voice called out from far above, Kora turned to look just like the others. She didn’t understand... faeries? That had not been transformed. Unlike Sylphira and Anna, Kora did not recognize the significance of their monarch colored wings. At first, she thought that they were there to help them. After all, why would faeries wish to harm their own homeland? Those thoughts vanished almost instantly when five of the faeries disappeared in wisps of smoke, only to reappear amongst their group. Sylphira and Cin were the the first to be taken. So quickly that she didn’t even have time to comprehend what was happening. Chandar and Dalena were next. Alarmed, Kora whirled around in the directions where they had once stood. The Shastan princess turned around, only to have her eyes go wide when another of the faeries appeared right behind her sister.

“ZAARA!”

Kora ran to her sister, only to grab fistfuls of empty air as she vanished without a trace. “Zaara! Zaara!” she called out involuntarily. Her whole body burned hot with anger. They weren’t going to get away with this. But where had they taken them? It was obvious that their enemies wanted them to split up to search for their various companions. But what choice did they have? What choice did she have? Grinding her teeth in rage, there was murder burning in her eyes. “Cowards!” she spat. Her instincts were screaming at her to charge after whoever it was that had taken Zaara, and beat the living hell out of them. But she didn’t know where to go. Where had they taken her sister? Or the others?


OOC:

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[Rada Han]

Ninnikujip, The Marketplace

A barricade had been set up in the middle of the marketplace, like a camp. A temporary guardrail had been constructed with sharpened spikes protruding from them to keep intruders out. Tied to posts were harnessed puffins meant for riding, a bird not indigenous to Laelie, or even the forests.

Dalena was forcibly taken and tied to one of those posts by Miyu and her guards. At first glance, it wasn't obvious that Miyu was, in fact, a woman. Her face was gentle compared to the others, but her physique and dress was that of a warrior. She was a large, strong woman. So strong, in fact, that Miyu didn't carry the extra weight of a weapon. Her martial arts were honed, and fists as hard as rocks. Only a fool would mess with Miyu.

"Good Salor," She spoke, with a soft voice unfitting to her appearance. "I regret to inform you that your kingdom is in grave danger, and will be as long as you insist on pursuing the goals given to you by your King. I urge you to give up on your quest and follow us, the Travelers and our allies, instead. Salorite would be a formidable ally in regards to our cause."

[XSenkoX]

"HALT."

As if the new arrivals carried some power over coincidence atop of their timing, the baby stopped screeching and the bees settled down to watch the Betrothed and company. For a second it looked like they might have been saved, but Reriic wasn't quite convinced. Something about the faeries was off; a familiar feeling that he couldn't quite place immediately, but when he realized just what it was it hit him like a tonne of bricks. Condescension. They oozed it, like the twins and himself, and was decidedly not a good aura for rescuers to exude. Before he could warn someone of his fears, the leader snapped his fingers and he and the lackeys vanished before their eyes.

Not a good sign.

It became a worse sign when the monarchs reappeared amidst the group and began snatching people up, starting with Sylphira and Cin. Reriic had been too far away to get there in time, but that hadn't stopped him from trying or turning the area where his brother had been standing into a gravity sink. The prince's attempts didn't seem to phase the faerie, who vanished the same way he had arrived, leaving Cin's sword embedded in the dirt as a reward for Reriic's efforts. The magic shattered as he walked dumbly to the sword and knelt down to prise it from the soil like it might have been hiding his brother beneath. An illogical, wishful, thought, but the prince was at a loss for anything else at the moment. Faeries that weren't bugs had just kidnapped his brother before his eyes and Reriic had been utterly useless. He had failed failed to protect his kin.

He had failed.

Reriic remained knelt down, holding Cin's blade loosely in his hands. The longer he stared at it, the elf felt less miserable and more furious. Fury at his current failing built upon years of self-imposed misery and guilt and anger until his grip tightened around the hilt of Cin's sword and his piercing eyes snapped back into focus. Sitting and staring wasn't going to find his brother or alleviate the shame of having screwed up so badly, especially if the monarchs killed their hostages.

Moving to stand, Reriic's gaze happened upon a small pile of dust. He nearly ignored it, thinking it the dust of the faeries' wings or something. Butterflies had dust on their wings, he had seen it on his gloves when catching moths as a child, it sort of made sense that fae wings would have similar properties. Dismissive thoughts aside, the elf's eyes lingered on the chalky residue a while longer before realizing it formed a trail. Suddenly he was on his feet.

"There's a trail," Reriic whispered to himself, then louder for the benefit of everyone else: "The bastards left a trail. I'm going after Cin."

[Angst Werewolf]

Chandar was quite surprised when Bashirah approached him about her brother. The Gradian wondered how she hadn't noticed him before, but given the amount of wind and leaves swirling about, it was starting to get difficult to see anything if you didn't know where to look. "The prince is over there," he replied, having to raise his voice to be heard. Chandar gestured towards Kunal with his free hand, sword still trained in the general direction of the attacking insects.

The guard never got the chance to answer Bashirah's question. The Monarchs came, and for a minute, nobody moved. Even the insects had stopped flying around. Chandar tensed at Hanzo's snap, bracing himself for all hell to break lose again. But even that was not enough to save him from Liuyan's attack. Chandar howled in anger as he was disarmed and lunged for the faerie, intent on punching him square in the face. But he never got the chance as the two disappeared and everything went black.


----------------------


Chandar had not been to the stables before his abduction, and the smith glanced around in confusion as his sight returned. Despite the dead bodies, it was relatively quiet; he had half expected to wake up in a torture chamber with a giant centipede chewing on his leg.

So he supposed being immobilized by the vines and tree roots was a step up from that. That didn't stop him from glowering at Liuyan and twisting in his binds as the faerie spoke. His squirming got him nowhere and the vines around his middle tightened, digging into his chest. He grit his teeth and stopped; this was one time when having metal plates covering your midsection was a bad idea.

Liu's words gave him pause. They thought he was an actual guard? Confusion flashed across his face before he covered it up with another scowl. They clearly didn't know who he was- he hadn't even been at Bhegin- and assumed him to be the original guard for Kunal and Bashirah. He didn't know if this was good or not, but for the moment he was going to keep that piece of information to himself.

...But why was the last guard supposed to be killed?

The Monarch made his request for whatever had been stolen and followed up with a thinly-veiled threat to kill Bashirah. Chandar resumed his thrashing, teeth bared in a snarl. "Keep your hands off her! And I don't have it anymore," he added. Chandar wasn't sure what Liu was after, but if he could get the faerie to slip more details, he could lie a little better. "Who are you, anyway? Was that your damned baby that kept trying to get us all killed?" Questions were good. It would make Lui talk, and talking burned time, and... Chandar's eyes narrowed. What was he waiting for? A rescue? He doubted very much that anyone would come. Had he been left behind, he would have turned and left Laelie without a second thought. Unless, of course, one of the Mahapatras had been taken. No, he was going to have to get himself out of this mess. "And what's the deal with you faeries turning into bugs? The whole forest should be burned!"

Liuyan played with beads of light between his fingers. He was a powerful magician, capable of causing major damage. The others at his side were also adept at magic. They did not carry weapons like the other monarchs did. His brow furrowed at the guard's cheeky response. "You don't have it anymore? What sort of idiot excuse is that? How am I to believe that you would go through the effort of rescuing it from a burning, collapsing building, only to not have it anymore? You don't deserve answers. They left you behind then and they'll leave you behind now. You have the chance to save yourself by handing it over, so don't blow it. Now, where is it?"

It looked like if Chandar wanted any answers, he'd have to beat it out of them. In his position, it was doubted that it'd be possible to.

Chandar worked his jaw angrily. His "plan" had gone right out the window and several of the guards were eying him up, as if they were preparing to strike. The vines had tightened again and were now making breathing a bit of a chore. His arm had started to heat up, but the plant didn't seem to be affected by it in the least. "You aren't the first person to abduct me, you know," he replied. "I've lost a lot of my stuff lately." It was getting a bit difficult to keep up the "mightier than thou" act and not simply go limp in his binds.

He had to buy time. Even if nobody came and he never got out, he'd be damned if he let a faerie get the best of him. "Next time you want something, try keeping a better eye on it."

[Musical Stereo]

ＲＩＴＥ ＯＦ ＦＡＩＴＨ

☼ Dalena didn't have any sort of time to recover her breathe after helping Jean-Baptiste escourt Eston out of the destroyed mushroom house. In fact, she was at least trying to calm herself down and let the adrenaline start to slow, but all she could really hear was her pounding heartbeat ringing in her ears. She looked around as quickly as she could, confused and scared about what was really going on. Those bees were destroying the house and would the group end up just like the small abode? Dalena hoped to all Gods that case did not come true.

Before her prayers could have even started, suddenly she heard the baby's cries come to stop. Relief washed over the Rite of Salor as she now realised her and the others would be safe. Quietly, she sat herself up so she was kneeling on her left knee- the one that didn't hurt the most from her fall. She cursed her inexperienced ways with the few injuries she receieved. Dalena groaned softly as she tried to stand, but then she suddenly saw orange wings appear in the corner of her golden eye, but when she looked the person was gone- with one of their group members!

Soon, two more people had disappeared, and then a third too! Suddenly, what seemed to be a young man appeared right besides the blonde haired woman. An arm reached out and grabbed her, to which Dalena replied with a shrill scream. However, that was completely cut short when she was suddenly pulled away and everything went black.


----


When Dalena finally awoke, she seemed to have been tied to a post. Her arms were tightly bound behind her, so there wasno easy way to escape. When she finally opened her eyes, she realized her spectacles were slightly off, giving her a bit of a skewed vision. In front of her, she saw a rather large man who did not carry any sort of weapon but seemed to carry a dangerous aura all the same.

Suddenly, when the person in front of Dalena spoke, the voice was soft and gentle, which must have meant that the person who took her was a woman. Dalena's eyes widened slightly at the mention of her home country- how Salorite needed her. This was more than a tough decision, she had really started to like traveling with the large, sometimes obnoxious, group. Quietly, she licked her lips before she could even think of some sort of reply.

"I... This is such a sudden... shock for me... May I ask why you're simply requesting one Rite of Salor when our party has three? I'm not trying to be modest but those two have much more power than I do. Why me?"

Dalena's experience with the monarchs would be quite a far cry from the others'. This encounter was calm, almost friendly, despite the amount of guards at Miyu's side, and the fact that she was tied to a post. "You're a girl," the faerie replied. "You are smarter than they are. You have more sense. You cannot expect them to do the right thing. I am extending my hand to yours, in the name of the Travelers and our allied kingdoms. Convince your king to follow us."

The sole reason they wanted her was because of her female identity? Dalena couldn't help but to raise a thin eyebrow at the idea. She blinked as she registered what else the woman said to her, how she was much smarter and had more sense. The part about convincing her king, however, would not be so easy. The man was crazy- so he had his Rites to govern his common sense. Unfortunately, Dalena shook her head softly in a very polite refusal.

" I'm sorry, but I will have to decline your offer. My King is not in any state of mind to be able to make rational decisions on his own, and if he even were to accept, Salorite does not have its own properly functioning and high-budgeted military. I hope you'll pardon this."

Dalena may have been polite, but her refusal resulted in a change of manner in the faerie. Miyu's face remained calm, but her soft voice no longer spouted formalities of any kind. "Fine," She said. "If you want to play it that way. I'll deliver the heads of your fellow Rites to your fool King and see how quickly he crumbles." With a wave of her hand, a couple of Miyu's guards vanished into thin air, presumably back to the other Rites to finish the job.

Dalena's golden eyes widened and fear suddenly set into the young Salor's body. Oh no... She had permentally sent Chris and Alek to their graves?! They were both strong individuals but her mind was currently wandering to more grotesque situations. She gasped as she bit her lip, uncaring if it started to bleed. Even with two Salor's dead, the King cold easily choose more and then their cycle would just continue. Slowly, the blonde was trying to gather a small amount of energy-light- into her restrained hands, to perhaps even try to make something slightly blinding. Her fear was now being accompanied by a very rare emotion: anger. "Wait- no! Please, that method will not convince anyone- my King may even become enraged! Please consider your actions, they will just simply cause grief! Please reconsider!"


[ ooc: roflcopter this turned out longer than i even anticipated ]

[V I V L I O N]

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ADELE MARIE VANADIS

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xxxxxAdele gave a small smile at his response but it quickly faded when she picked up on his half hearted laugh. Her lips parted as she looked up at him as he indirectly reprimanded her for the fact that she had not been with him at the time of the fight. Had he not been the individual who had asked a select group of people to go into the other room to help Kunal? If she was supposed to have follow, Jean should have specified and made it more clear! There was no way that he could pin this on her. It was him and his big mouth that had probably gotten him into a scuffle! That always seemed to be the case. And yet, despite her reasoning, she felt a sense of guilt for whatever had happened.

The blonde decided to say nothing further and just stared down the street as Jean brushed past her to go back into the house. She stubbornly rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together, allowing herself a moment of self pity. Though, that quickly came to an end when a sudden screech pierced through the air, causing her to jump. Adele frantically looked around for the source. In place, her eyes widened at a new threat. The buzzing of the bees grew louder until they drowned out everything else. And before the Zuleidian realized what was going on, the creatures began to bombard the small mushroom structure that everyone was in.

It took no more than a minute for the blonde to spring into action, Jean's earlier instruction to not kill ringing through her mind. She used the flat of her sword in an attempt at knocking the bees from the air or, in the very least, distracting them. But there was only so much she could do by herself. Though, the guard knew she just needed to allow enough time for the others to get out of the unstable structure. It was only when Sylphira stepped forward to take apart in the fight that Adele allowed herself to ease back for fear of being swept up by the blistering winds. Making a conscious effort to keep a better eye on Jean, she hastily crossed to where the prince, and others less capable in battle, were making their stand, her sword poised in a defensive manner.

And then everything came to a stand still. Adele let out a sigh of relief as her blue eyes looked to Sonya who held the now quiet baby. "Thank the Gods..." She breathed underneath her breath. That was when she allowed herself to look up, only then realizing the true amount of bugs surrounding them. As if they didn't have enough trouble on their hands at that time, a voice called out through the silence. Her shoulders tensed, as her eyes fell upon a group of faeries. Adele analyzed the figures, curious as to why they showed no changes of being affected by whatever plague cursed Laelie. She was uneasy, to say the least. And despite the fact that they had been seeing less than eye to eye over the past few days, the guard would not be able to handle
losing Jean ever again. Due to this fear, the blonde slowly placed herself in front of her friend. Her fingers tightening along the
grip of her sword, ready for the first sign of an attack. Luckily, it seemed as if he had not gotten the chance to make himself a
target.

But one second the group of men were in front of them, the next, they were spread out through their party. Her gaze shot around
to take note of those that had been marked but they stopped as they caught sight of Chandar's sword fly out of his hands. She
took a step forward to help him but forced herself to stay in place. Jean had to be her number one priority. That was why she
was there. No one else's life was more than important. Her own existence depended on keeping him alive. It was only until the
last of the men had disappeared with their hostages that Adele looked back over her shoulder at Jean, "You alright?" While
she waited for an answer, the guard crossed over to where Chandar's sword had fallen. She untied the leather strand that she had
been using to hold up her hair and instead, strung the weapon to her belt. There was no doubt in her mind, no matter what, she
would have the opportunity to return the blade to its rightful owner. The monarchs would not kill the hostages. There would be
no point until they had made their demands clear. So, the question was, what did they want?

Looking to Reriic as he spoke up, she nodded her head. The elf was capable of going by himself. Surely he could hold his own
in a fight. But, despite her confidence, the Zuleidian moved towards him and knelt down to the ground to analyze the trail that
he spoke of. She only looked at it for a moment before taking a deep breath. It would appear like he had been right. It just
seemed too easy? Placing a hand on his shoulder, Adele quietly spoke so that he could only hear. "Take care. Do what you need
to do to return and bring back your brother." Taking up the role of leader so that they wasted no time, Adele raised her voice to
address everyone. "Anna will go after Sylphira. Reriic will retrieve Cin. The Rites can find Dalena. Kora-" Her voice softened
as she looked at the other. The same girl that Jean and her had grown up teasing for years. She wasn't a trained guard and not at
all intimidating. But the royal guard knew that there was more power there than most people knew. However, that was not the
question. The question was whether the other was confident enough in her own abilities. "Kora, can you get Zaara? If not,
someone else can go." Despite her collected exterior, she was anxious to head out and track down the culprits and make them pay.

I want to go back.
To when I knew who I was.
To when I knew who you were.
And where we stood amongst this wreck.

[K33LA]

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Inevitably, Kunal was thrown amidst the maelstrom. Between the piercing shrieks, the raucous cries of that wretched child, the buzzing a thousand vicious insects, and the hurricane-force winds conjured by Sylphira, the Gradian Royal was tossed around more than he cared to admit. The baby calmed. The insects froze. A new obstacle - or rather, set of obstacles - appeared... and subsequently disappeared.

Chandar, Dalena, Sylphira, Zaara, and Cin had been taken.

For one quick, terrifying second, Kunal's black eyes swept frantically to find Bashirah. In the confusion he had forgotten the overwhelming anger that exploded within him when he discovered her with Cin. But once the moment had passed, once he saw she was safe and sound, the memory of her folly soon returned. Her well-being established, Kunal's current loathing of Bashirah felt justified. She was looking for something - probably him - in what he recognized to be a desperate manner. He did not feel compelled to call out to her. Funny how easily she flipped her utter disregard for him into concern. Perhaps she wanted Kunal to remove her from the public eye. The sudden, stressful turn of events seemed a believable trigger for one of her panic attacks. Naturally, she'd come crawling back when it was convenient for her.

No, Bashirah isn't like that. She isn't... I am being cruel. Kunal's mind was sharply divided. One faction felt total betrayal. The other clung to an inability to hate her... His other half. No, no, no, she made her choice, and it was not me... She deserted him in his blindness, in his uselessness. Because of her, Jean-Baptiste has been able to inflict more pain upon him, more weakness. In more ways than one. Am I being... unreasonable? No... No... She left me when I needed her most. Me. The one who took care of her all these years. Without complaint... No, what she did is unforgivable. Unforgivable...

To his left he caught the snatches of a tune fading into the night. His head turned sharply, poised to attack or defend, yet he relaxed when his eyes fell upon Sonya and the devil-child. It was odd to see her display any maternal qualities. Not that her face conveyed that.

"Not such a frigid b***h after all, are you?" He spat softly, audible enough for her to hear. Obviously she did not know he had been a mere yard or two away prior to his speaking.


◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
❁ There is ℓσνє in your вσ∂у but you can't get it out

It gets ѕтυ¢к ιи уσυя нєα∂, won't come συт σf уσυя мσυтн

Sticks to your тσиgυє and it shows on your fα¢є

That the ѕωєєтєѕт σf ωσя∂ѕ have the вιттєяєѕт тαѕтє ▶ ▷


◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

xxx

[Overlord Gizmo]

x x x x x x x x x ✗ K o r a x Z h a d d a g h

“A trail?” Kora moved back to the spot where her sister had vanished. Crouching down low to the ground, she saw that Reriic was right. A white powdery substance had been left behind. She let the tips of her fingers drag through it for a moment, before she straightened back up into a standing position. There were faint trails leading away from where all five of their companions had been taken. “They all lead in different directions...” she observed aloud, as her eyes scanned over the various paths. They all could have traveled together, in order to try rescuing the hostages one at a time. But there wasn’t time for that. Zaara didn’t have the time to wait for them. Although it seemed to Kora that they would be playing into their enemies’ plan, it seemed that they had no choice but to split up.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Reriic wasn’t going to wait to after his brother anymore than she was going to wait to go after her sister. After all of these years, her older sister had begun to give her the time of day... to treat her like a real sister. All her life, the younger princess had thought that she didn’t need a relationship with her sister. But that now that she had it... she didn’t want to lose it. Not now. Not when the future seemed just a little brighter for once. The pain from her injury was all but forgotten in the wake of this new development. I’m coming Zaara... I promise... she thought to herself, anger causing her body to shake. There was a stinging wetness in her eyes that she was quick to wipe away, lest the others see, and think her weak.

She was hardly aware of Adele taking charge of the situation, until the guard spoke to her directly. The other woman’s voice softened slightly, which Kora had not expected. Jean and Adele had always teased Kora while they were growing up. Since Kora had been so much smaller than them, it had made her an ideal target. The princess could recall more than one incident where some unsavory substance had been caught in her hair. The two of them were the absolute last people Kora would have expected to see anything in her. No one had ever put faith in her power to accomplish anything. Why would they? She was just an illegitimate princess; much smaller than average, and not intimidating at all (unlike Zaara). Even her voice felt small at times. It was odd, that all these years later, Adele would be the one to ask her if she could do something.

Kora had never cared about what other people thought of her strength and abilities. At least that’s what she had told herself. It wasn’t as though Adele was directly putting faith in the Shastan’s capability... but the fact that she was acknowledging her was enough. It felt strangely... good. Empowering even. Nodding firmly, and feeling just a bit more level headed than she had just a few moments before, she replied, “I can bring Zaara back.” Kora did not want to waste any more time. Without taking a single look back at the rest of the group, she ran off in the direction that Zaara’s trail went.

Towards the birthing garden; Fayuandi.


OOC:

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[Rada Han]

ImPeRfEcTiOn is в є α υ т у,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxⓂⒶⒹⓃⒺⓈⓈ is gєníus,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxand it is better to be absolutely ɾïḋïсυløυṡ than absolutely ๒◊ЯⅰиG.
.........



What struck Jean-Baptiste even before the Travelers made themselves known, were the insects that surrounded their group, attracted by the baby’s cries and then calmed by her silence. They were just lingering there, some that were even taller than he was, with their exoskeletons, antennae, and many legs. He was in awe of them. He’d always played with bugs back home when he was a child, but had never been small enough to see them so closely. They were beautiful. Jean could only wonder how much more beautiful they’d be as faeries. Curiously, he placed his hand on the shell of a mantis. It seemed... gentle.

When the monarchs made their stance known, Jean was stuck in a rut. He wasn’t very good in battle, but it wasn’t as if he’d never had any training. The Travelers were armored and had weapons. They looked like warriors. He didn’t feel he could ever stand a chance against them without help, but part of him wanted to help the faeries as best as he could. It wasn’t his kingdom, nor his people, but he’d been fascinated with them since he was a child. They deserved to be aided just as much as anyone else.

In addition to that, with the possibility lingering over them that all of the kingdoms had suffered some other calamity, Jean assumed that Zuleidi had been consumed as well. He didn’t want to think about it, but when the time came, he hoped that the others would want to help him just as well as he’d helped them. So far, he wasn’t doing such a great job.

When some others had been taken by the monarchs, naturally, his heart jumped into his throat. He was an important person in the world, so he figured that danger would naturally be attracted to him. However, the people the Travelers took seemed to have been chosen randomly, or in haste. When Adele put herself in front of him, his fear subsided entirely. He trusted her with his life, even though events as of late had proven that she was becoming increasingly lax in her duties now that she’d been making new friends. Still, he wasn’t surprised once she decided to leave again.

“I’m fine,” He mumbled in reply. When he saw Adele pick up the sword left behind by the Gradian, he kept a low voice, almost as if he were a different person. As if he did not even care about what she did. “You’re going after him, aren’t you? You should hurry.” A brief thought passed through his mind. He wondered why Adele, of all people, would leave his side to save a Gradian who wasn’t even royalty. Someone who wasn’t nearly as close to her as he was, or even Kora and Zaara, who had lost their guard in Dradecus. He judged her silently for it, but at the same time understood that they couldn’t just leave someone behind to die.

Though, he doubted he’d have more of a chance at living than Chandar did. Either way, he chose not to follow the other Zuleidan. He figured that he’d just get in the way. He was actually more concerned about Zaara than any of the others. Cin and Sylphira had (mostly) capable guards to protect them. Zaara only had her tiny little sister. He decided to go after her simply because he cared about them more than the others. It wasn't like there was much earth to manipulate high up in the trees.

Tossing the guitar strap back over his shoulder, Jean shot one last look at the remainder of the group and took off running after Kora.

“Wait!”




xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx《The Trickster Prince》
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[jadeshaw88]

۪D۫۰۪a۫۰۪n۫۰۪i۫۰۪k۫۰۪a۫۰ "۪D۫۰۪a۫۰۪n۫۰۪i۫۰" M۫۰۪a۫۰۪r۫۰۪t۫۰۪i۫۰۪z۫۰xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mischief Makerxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Beware she's schemin'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
she'll make you think you're dreamin' xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You'll fall in love and you'll be screamin' dreamin'"xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danika's expression soured when Jean spoke and she turned away to keep him from seeing it. If she could say all the things that she wanted to say to him and the rest of this group...She couldn't though. If only her sister had had a little bit of a backbone, she could have at least stood up for herself. That was apparently too much to ask though. Now she had to just stand there while people insulted her to her face. In Dradecus, this sort of thing never would have happened. She was a force to be reckoned with and people knew that there. Her sister was just a doormat to be walked over and ignored.

She didn't have long to dwell on that, however. The noise that split the air moments later turned her stomach and she wasn't at all surprised when the baby started crying. She wanted to cover her ears herself but she restrained herself. She had showed enough weakness as it was and she wasn't going to make it worse by cowering from a noise.

Everything went to hell after that. People started shouting, giving orders and fleeing into the open. It was a good plan. Staying in the house would make them easy targets where in the open they at least had a chance to run. That coupled with the fact that the mushroom was clearly unstable made getting out the safer choice, even if it left them exposed. The giant had been grabbed up by Jean, one of the injured prisoners and Dalena. Everyone else could pretty much escape on their own...Everyone except for the injured Shasta.

Leaving should have been a priority. What did she care if the Shasta stayed or left? Actually, simply leaving him would have saved her a lot of trouble. Then again, it could have caused more if he survived. It was important that she made sure that he didn't. It was bad enough that there was a nut case faerie running around with knowledge about her. She didn't need someone who could identify her as a fake. He sounded like he knew her sister well...she didn't remember ever seeing him in any of her checks on Cat but she hadn't watched the girl every day every hour.

She moved toward him rather quickly. Then grabbed him under the arms and started dragging him toward the door, should anyone be watching her in the confusion. She honestly believed that they had all forgotten about the man. That was good, it would leave less explaining later. When she was sure that no one was looking, she stopped and smiled down at the man. "I don't know who you were to my sister but know that your involvement with her has lead to your demise." She whispered close to his ear before she placed her hands on either side of his head and swiftly broke his neck. She left him there then to be forgotten in the wreckage and debris and left the house.

------------

It didn't take long to find Jean after that, the group hadn't exactly gone far. She simply slipped in near him and kept her mouth shut. She was worried about the bees but not as much as she should be. Her mind was focused more on how she could use the attack to her advantage. Getting rid of the Shasta had been so easy...not that getting rid of her problems were ever very difficult...surely she could take out at least one more target before this thing had ended.

No, it was too late. The baby stopped crying and they were confronted by another group of faeries. Well that was an interesting turn of events though she supposed she should have guessed that this was all their fault. The bugs were connected to that disgusting little baby, after all. She didn't know who the man who shouted was but it was easy enough to figure out that he was the leader. He said nothing more, simply snapped his fingers and they all disappeared.

She was unconcerned...until she realized that they had taken people with them. Normally she wouldn't have cared about that either. In fact, it made her job easier. They had taken Cin though. She had always liked Cin, even before she had joined this stupid little group. He was always just up for a good time. Politics and things of that nature never seemed to concern him though he handled things in what she thought was efficient. She liked him and now the faeries had him. She supposed that it was for the best. She couldn't afford to be attached to anyone...especially someone who was essentially useless to her plans.

Even so, she wanted desperately to help Reriic get him back. The man was a pain in the a** but she wanted to help in whatever way she could. She may not have magic but she could fight and she was a thinker. She could come up with a strategy to get him back safely. She couldn't though. Reriic wouldn't want her help and it would make no sense for a Shasta dancer with little affiliation to Dradecus to want to help him when one of her own princesses was in danger.

So, in a state of both regret and shock, she followed Jean.





~*~ That girl is poison ~*~xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Laser Rain]

Christopher Metus

Getting healed wasn't the most comfortable thing for him, but at least the Salorite wasn't open anymore. He likely wouldn't be back to full strength for at least a few days, but at least he'd be able to walk again. The discombobulated Rite hardly had time to react when the... Magicians? He couldn't fully comprehend how they were so quick, so that seemed likely but beside the point. They were there and gone with Dalena, along with a sizable portion of their companions. The giant forced himself to his feet and looked down to his healed side, it didn't look too awful. A stifled cough escaped his lips before he spoke once more. “Thank you, Reriic.” It sounded humble, and although it was brief, it was sincere. “And yes, now to the important matters.” He wasn’t too much of an asset at that point, so he would have to find some sort of weapon on their way. He sucked a bit of light from the room, to see if he was strong enough to do so, and managed a bit. About as much as he’d be able to for now. Slow release as he leaned against a wall.

“She’ll be dead if we don’t hurry, so shall we?” He asked simply. His eyes fell upon Alexi, whom he beckoned to as he took a few steps onward. He wasn’t in the mood for heroics, no one ever was though. Before proceeding he pulled his notebook from his pocket and made some scribbles concerning leadership capability. Details. He had a good eye for those. The giant took off his shoes, possibly a dangerous idea, but pure white fabric was now as tarnished as his body was. His feet were just as pale as his other appendages, this feature being exacerbated by his blood loss. He was glad that it was done at that point, but he was still aggravated that he let his body get so badly damaged. The rite would save his coworker and friend, more from duty than a serious concern. He was incredibly loyal, more to the people of his nation than the friends he had. A rite was in constant demand of the people, and up until these more recent times, he usually had to remain within the city.

Alexi listened to Chris, and followed with what he asked. He offered no words, just a nod and a smile to the man. Their feet plodded against the ground as they started to make their way, generally, towards the market. Chris was a bit fuzzy, so Alexi made sure he was doubly sharp. Who knows what lay ahead of them.

"Yeah well they'll put that on your tombstone as the last thing that you said. I never wanted to kill a man, like I want to kill you man."
The years of pain boiled over, trading blows across the counter.
And when that devil was down he grabbed for his empty old friend jack.
He caught his eye as he took his last breath and that vice went to his head again and again.
"Dear god what have you done?"

((I'm back! Going to go with around a class 2 hemorrhage, if that's ok?))

[SheIsCursedTea]

Elya || Meister
|| Royal Guard to the Princes of Dradecυѕ ||

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Elya pushed her way into the mushroom house, avoiding the steady crumbling of the ceiling above her. "Reriic! Reriic!" Finally, she spotted him amide the chaos and ran over to him, only to have Sonya and the infant shoved into her arms. She opened her mouth, when Reriic gave the order. Her mouth quickly shut and she nodded. "If your not out in two minutes, I'll be back for you." Then, while Sonya attempted to coo the child in her arms, Elya have guided, half carried her out of the house. Once Elya had gotten Sonya and the crying child a fair distance from the house, she turned and headed back, just as Reriic appeared outside. A soft sigh escaped her lips. "Everyone's safe ..."

"Halt."

Elya cursed under her breath softly. "I had to open my mouth, didn't I." Then, everything happened so fast, and Cin was gone. Elya stood for a moment as her brain tried to process everything that had happened. Then, she balled her fist and punched the nearest thing, which so happened to be another mushroom house, leaving a large crater there. "Why can't I do anything right?! How does this keep happening?!" She ran a hand through her hair. Then, when Reriic noted that there was a trail, she turned to look at him. Like hell was she going to let both Prince's out of her sight again. "Reriic, please allow me to accompany you. I've failed too much so far and I don't want to keep disappointing you and your brother. I'm afraid, I'm not going to take no for an answer on this." She crossed her arms, observing Reriic carefully. If he said no, she'd just follow him anyway. It was the task she had been set, her big chance to live up to her brother's names, and all she'd succeeded in doing was allow one of her charges to be kidnapped. She felt completely responsible, and hence had to sort it out.

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