Thelania: Assault of the Strifesworn (Closed For Now)

[First of Four]

Jake Lautter
and
The Devil Threads
______________________________________

When the two finally approached fully and introduced themselves Jake pulled his eyes away from Eoforhild’s four legged companion. He let his gaze now fall onto Loma and Vincent looking the two up and down a bit more intensely now, examining every bit of their physical appearance while listening to their spoken words and how they were said. Vincent he knew nothing of in all honesty so at first he examined Loma. Her words were interesting enough but what really got him was something else about her, her essence, her very being was ever so slightly familiar to him and after a small bit of thought on the subject he added his feelings and what she had said together and finally realize what it was. She was a close associate to that… being he had met at the initial Strifesworn attack at the docks. Grinning sharply as he went over a few thoughts of interest Jake’s mind was then suddenly torn from her with the sudden burst of swirling energies from Vincent. Jake quickly realized however that the energies were not from him but from his weapon, and with the current fusion of himself and The Devil Threads he was aware of what it was he was now staring at. Then Jake did something the he never did, he frowned and narrowed his brow. He then slowly got up acting as though all in the world no longer existed except for the sword Epithesi as his eyes were locked on it with a deadly glare. What was this one might wonder? Well, let’s just say for now the world of parasitic sentient weapons was not a kind one and very much driven with territorial instincts. Jake said not a word however once he was standing and merely continued to glare at the sword as he slipped his hands casually into his pockets.

[Wildear19]

your soul, my profit

Dallkarackint Supposed he should be feeling mildly annoyed right about now, what with the lack of a response from the other end of the doors but seeing as he lacked a soul, and thus emotion he wasn’t, in fact he would have been perfectly content to stand there until the end of time. However, seeing as he most rightly could not stand here stoically awaiting a response from beyond the doors, Dali simply sighed pushing his dark shades up his face he withdrew the silver pocket watch that was not a pocket watch and examined it. After three round trips by the second hand, the soul weaver replaced it back in the front coat of his vest pocket and rubbed at his temples with one white leather gloved hand, as he were annoyed, or contemplating a complex math equation. Stepping to the door, Dali placed one white gloved hand to the oak and with a small tread of his power, shattered the doors inward. Unconcerned Dali walked on inside, his finely tailored leather shoes making soft clicking sounds on the stone. The place was thick with souls and while most were the ugly infected green of the Swiftsworn there were some that were not. They were the pale blue of human, the intense pink of the elves, and deep red of demons. Because Dali was a soul weaver, souls were drawn to him like a magnet; in a way his natural ability to draw souls towards him was much the same as the bewitching ability of a witch woman both occurred naturally and seemingly on their own. As Dali moved deeper in he saw yet a new color, this one much brighter and it he knew was the one that was responsible for the others. It was a dark sick urine yellow and it seemed to hang in the air like a dense thick fog as Dali rounded around a bend and stopped dead in his tracks. All around him, the souls of the room began to draw into him, he however took no notice. Standing in the center of this room was a man, or what Dali assumed was a man, anyway, he was leaning over something on a table but that wasn’t had halted. He had halted because of what he had seen and what he had seen was this. Light magic, bright and intense came from the man as he continued to do whatever he was doing. Dali, being a creature from the primordial darkness of before creation loathed the light, light was an affront to the empty nothing that was the void of the universe, and beings that used such a blaspheme had proven to run counter to what the soul weaver wanted. Dali didn’t even hesitate, he simply acted he used one of the gathered souls ad created a gouting ball of bright silver fire that was not fire, he then sent it screaming across the archway at the man his red goat eyes narrowed with empty emotion as he watched the strange fire howl and scream as it flew through the air towards the offender who had dared to use light magic...

[Laureli ObsidianFang]

Divona Arethina
The Chubby Chocolate Southern Loli Demon

Divona had spent a long while with her parents who had been happy beyond words to see their daughter home safe and sound despite all that had been going on in the world, they'd been terrified that something might happen to her,and she explained that it sort of had, she'd been fighting the strifesworn to try and protect Feora. Whether she was going to continue to try and help was what she was currently most unsure of, she wanted to do some good, but the problem was that she felt like she was far more of a detriment to the team than any assistance, and she expressed this to her parents. On the one hand they were proud of her for wanting to help do what was right, but of course on the other, she was their little girl, and her mother especially was frightened of the idea of her daughter charging into any more battles and risking her life. It was a long discussion filled with lots of hugs and tears, it was wonderful to be back home, she'd missed her parents dearly, but she would not ever say she regretted the year long journey she had undertaken, she'd learned so much of the world and it's people and she'd met so many wonderful folk. She'd always been a rather adventurous girl, and so the thought of staying home and doing nothing while the hordes of strifesworn gathered and might very well attack here next did not sit well with her, but she still couldn't help feeling like she had no place in the fighting. If she was to be any use to the group then she needed to learn how to actually fight, because while haphazardly swinging her halberd could sometimes have the desired effect, it just wasn't good enough and her lack of experience was putting everyone in more danger.

She struggled with the decision for a while, listening to her families advice on the matter and keeping it all in consideration before it was pushed from mind for now at the mention of her mother fixing something to eat. She'd entirely forgotten to mention all of her new companions and was quick to do so now, asking if there was any way they could make some space in some spare rooms for the group to share, and perhaps make some arrangements for a dinner for them all. Her mother agreed in a heartbeat, always glad for guests and thrilled at the idea of making a big meal for everyone as she dearly loved cooking, they'd been helping out the refugee's whenever they could and so they only had enough in store for one such big meal right now, but that was good enough, after that it would have to be back to normal food. With a hug and kiss from her mother and father she'd hurried from her house, leaving the halberd behind as she wouldn't need it right now, she headed off to check in with everyone and see how many would be saying and how many would be eating with them while her mother worked on room and food preparations. She arrived back near the carriages to find that a portion of the group had already split off, but several people still remained, including Drythe, his little sister, and two women she didn't recognize. Approaching them she caught Djarva's words to Drythe, something about a performance? Then she'd turned to Cat before the gauntlet on her hand gave a very strange reaction, making Divona frown as she came to a stop beside the group, the conversation about Cat that followed was quite confusing for the demon, as she had actually missed everything to do with the girls wicked nature.

Pondering it a moment she shrugged it off for now, first things first, "Hello everyone," she said with a big friendly smile as she greeted them, inclining her head a little at Drythe as she inspected him, "Ya look a little flustered honey, you feelin' alright?" she asked with concern, having just missed the bit about Cat sleeping with him. Looking back to the group as a whole she cleared her throat a little, "Well I was jus' comin' to let ya'll know that my Ma and Pa says yuns is all welcome to come stay with us, though you'll hafta share some rooms, but aside from that, all ya'll are invited to come have a nice big dinner with us tonight, plenty for everyone so I hope to see ya there." she said. Of course the phrase of there being enough for everyone was more intended for the group from Feora, they didn't have anywhere near enough food for all the town and the refugee's too, but they could certainly feed their group. "So what's this I hear about performin'? Are ya'll throwin' some kinda party?" she asked curiously, looking between the small group as she patiently awaited and explanation.

[Connecto Prease]

- Drythe Hallover -
- [X] -
- Repentant Catastrophe -

Drythe twitched when he heard Djarva say his name, as he was still feeling anxious about the idea of performing in front of people, what she had to say didn't really help the situation, and he raised his hands to almost flail them towards her as he responded.

"Oh! N-No! I couldn't possibly do that! I-I've never done anything like that before..." He shuffled awkwardly, a part of him really wanted to help out, but he was suddenly overtaken by a sense of stage-fright, something the young man had ever experienced before.

"I'm really sorry...I want to help but I don't know if I'm up to it." He lowered his head in shame, feeling as though he was letting Djarva and Arina down.

He then heard a familiar voice with a very distinct accent. Drythe whirled around to see Divona, who looked even more energetic than ever. He inspected her as she did the same to him and she asked him if he was alright. He really wasn't, but not wanting to ruin the mood he put on the bravest face he could.

"Hello Divona. I'm okay, just anxious, as usual." He knocked on his head in jest, though it looked more awkward than jovial. He had already spoken to Cyneward about her parent's kind offer of letting them stay in their house. He tried to find a way to put it nicely without going into massive detail about the threat that Catrina posed. In the end, he replied with a flustered stammer.
"That's really kind of them, but I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. I mean, there are a few of us a-and..." He glanced at Cat, horrified that he was going to have to resort to using a previous misunderstanding over the whole dangerous demon route. "As you said yourself, p-people don't take kindly to the way we are...Uh, inclined. It may be easier if we kept to ourselves..." He laughed a strange laugh that made his feeble excuses and mental floundering obvious.

[Connecto Prease]

< Sir Justin Ramarith >
< O >
< Righteous Phoenix >

Justin clenched his fist as the girl spoke to him in such a manner. How dare she accuse him of being negligent in light of recent events? Keeping Nayavere and its people safe was the task that overtook his entire life, and he was damn proud of it. The only reason he even set foot outside the town since the attacks started was due to the fall of Feora, an event that the knight was determined to see Nayavere fail to repeat.

A light orange flame ignited in his eye, and he responded to the girl in as reserved a manner as possible, but he made sure to make his anger very well known.
"If you are not satisfied with the lengths that we have taken to allow people such as yourself to take refuge with as little fear as possible of attack, then you are more than welcome to take your impudent words elsewhere. I will not stand to be spoken to like this, considering the allowances that I have made, and the detrimental effect to the security of my town that they have caused." He sighed deeply and shook his head, controlling his rage and the spirit beast that lay within him.

"You may accompany us to the training ground. Not only because of the extenuating circumstances, but because I am losing my patience and time is of the essence. However, if you fail to speak with respect in the future my hospitality may very well diminish, as far as you are concerned. You can start by taking that self-satisfied grin off of your face."
That being said, he turned and started to walk towards the training ground, no longer caring if the girl or Cyneward followed him. He had no time for this, and could easily train on his own, though if the paladin didn't follow him there would be hell to pay later.

[Kail Tribal]

- Cyneward Atreus -

- The Last Paladin -

Cyneward watched meekly as Enaia quite blatantly accused Ramarith of lacking in his duties, and while he could understand they weren't exactly getting along right now, he did wish to at least defend Ramarith on this one. "Uhm, actually ma'am, Sir Ramarith did quite literally just return from saving myself and my companions from Feora, any lacking in defense here is not his wrongdoing, but rather that of whoever took charge in his place." he tried to explain as calmly and in as civilized a manner as he could. "I do sincerely apologise for what has happened to you, however. And although I understand a mere apology cannot undo what has been done, I humbly ask you to forgive the knights for this apparent mistake. It is your decision, however - I will not force the issue." he told Enaia politely, before she brought up the location of a library.

"A vast library you say? In a small town like this? Or do you speak of another location?" he asked, his curiosity notable perked as his eyebrows raised inquisitively and he leaned forward ever so slightly. After a moment he raised a hand to his chin as she inquired about the size of the group they travelled with. "Let's see, there's...erm...well, there's alot." he told her bluntly, unable to count just how many allies were accompanying him in Nayavere right now, but he was grateful for every single one. However as the young woman asked what he'd previously thought she had meant by her earlier comments he quickly broke eye contact, looking to the side nervously. "Ah, w-well, I just.." suddenly he jumped as she made her certain accusation of him, his eyes quickly looking back to her as they grew wide. "Ahh! N-no! I-I'm not...! Nhh, I-I'm a good boy, I swear!" he exclaimed with a whine, blurting his words out without warning before he quickly raised a hand to his mouth with a mortified look upon his features, unable to believe what had just left his mouth. "I...I..." he stammered hopelessly, a deep red coating his face in sheer embaressment.

With a pathetically feeble nod of agreement to Ramarith he began to follow after the man without a word, though normally he would have said something like 'My apologies, you are right, we should be training' he was simply unable to even speak at this very moment, quietly tagging along behind the older knight looking like a combination of a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and a scared puppy.

[Mia the Blade]

◤“It's always easiest to sell what you steal to someone else...”◥

After hearing Arina's explanation on who Catrina was, Djarva raised a brow before sighing softly, remembering stories on something similar to this happening. "I am alright, the gauntlet isn't something you need to worry about for now, though I will have to ask your advice on something private. Just make sure you are careful with what you intend to do with this girl. Many will listen to their heart's desire before the desire of others." Djarva was a prime example of something like what she mentioned. If her father were to see the way she made a living, he would have disowned her on the spot. However, that was neither here nor there, and right now, she was more focused on how she could get Drythe to do a quick swordplay act. Taking another swig of her kyldaar, Djarva smiled and gently patted Drythe on the shoulder, hoping to alleviate his worries. "I will not force you to do what you feel you can't, but I believe you would do a wonderful job. If you do change your mind, please come find me and we'll practice. Consider it a bit of a sparring match with a small twist if you will." A sly grin came across her face before she turned to the newcomer, a slight bit of surprise at how she looked.

Now mind you, her skin and size weren't at all what fascinated her, but the woman's horns and tail, which she promptly began to inspect possibly without the consent of the owner. "Amazing! The horns look so real, they have to be hers. And her tail!" Realizing that she may have been a bit out of line, she quickly backed up from her and bowed slightly. "Ah, forgive me. I am not from this area, so many things here are still quite unusual for me. I am Djarva, it is a pleasure to meet you. And if you are indeed wondering, yes we were thinking of doing a little party to brighten up the mood of the refugees and such." Walking over to Arina, she put her arm over her shoulder and smiled brightly as she pointed the open bottle of kyldaar at her before taking a swig to explain one more thing.

"It was Arina's idea to begin with so she'll know more than I do. I'm just gonna be doin' a few performances, hopefully one of which will be with Drythe or another lucky volunteer if they are up for it." Removing herself from Arina's presence, Djarva soon moved back to her pack which was sitting neglected and open near the group. Taking one moment to inspect it to see if anything had been removed, she nodded before picking it back up and slinging it over her shoulders once more. Once she got comfortable, she walked back over to the group once more and nodded. "I do know that I have to find a safer place to set my wares now. No telling who could be around waiting to steal what little I have."

◣“...but it's a true challenge to sell it back to the owner for double.”◢

[Laureli ObsidianFang]

Enaia Laeshunn

Enaia watched Ramarith's reaction intently, just as she had expected, the man seemed outraged, and easily so, he would be someone she would need to keep a very close eye on, for he might turn against her for his own benefit in an instant if he could so easily be enraged by the petty complaint of a stranger. The flame in his eye was no reassurance either, this man had an unseen power within him that she would need to be wary of, he was a definite threat to her safety, proof that even amongst those who shared your cause, you could trust no one to truly have your back, for when it suited them to turn against you, they would do so. Her comment had of course been rude, but to be fair, so had his, one could not always be prepared for anything, even if they tried to, they'd be caught off guard eventually, to expect anyone to be ready at every moment of the day or night was ridiculous and his remark had offended her, she was merely returning the favor. It was petty, but she was playing the part of a 16 year old, and what 16 year old girl isn't petty? It went well enough with her disguise and it gave her a sweet little bit of vengeance for what he'd said, he was such a stick in the mud, really he needed to loosen up a little. Despite or even perhaps because of his irritation he'd given in and agreed to let her accompany them to the training grounds, and the instant he'd turned his back to them she pulled a face behind him, sticking out her tongue in a very childish manner before Cyneward drew her attention. Smiling and shaking her head a little as she looked at the blonde "I wasn't truly blaming he himself, I was simply stating that when in a town deemed to be safe, people don't generally expect to be attacked by monsters, so of course they won't be ready. The fault was no more my own than that of any of the knights here, perhaps I should have been more prepared, but perhaps they should keep a better look out as well. It isn't that I expected he himself to be watching the whole of the town to come charging in and slay the thing before it could strike, but telling me I need to be ready for anything when I'd only just woken up isn't exactly fair." she explained quietly to him, not caring if Ramarith heard the explanation or not, she would not be making any apology to the man.

A moment later he'd taken interest in her statement about a vast library and she smiled more at him, "It is elsewhere, a long ways from here in fact, but it holds many tomes of knowledge long lost to time, I imagine the information you are looking for might very well be there, and" she paused a moment, looking the boy in the eye for a moment as she evaluated him before deciding to go on, "I know much of the workings of Strifesworn bodies, should that be of any help to you, however I can be of no help in regards to their leaders at the moment." she said, her tone quiet and secretive so that only he could hear. When he was only able to say that there were a lot of people in the group she was a bit disappointed though it didn't show, a lot could be any number, one mans definition of a lot could be 5 while another could be 20, however she beamed at Cyneward with an excited expression, "I look forward to meeting them all," she paused again for a second, glancing toward Ramarith where he had his back to them, "As long as they've not all got such large sticks lodged up their rears." she said, whispering though in a somewhat loud manner as she held up a hand by her mouth as though to block the whisper from reaching Ramarith whom she was sure could hear just fine, giving a small giggle at the paladin. His reaction to her teasing was quite priceless, she almost felt sorry for the poor boy as he got all flustered and only ended up further embarrassing himself, almost, but not quite, it was too good to just pass up some sort of response. Putting on a sweet almost apologetic expression she moved to place a hand on his arm, "Aw, don't worry, I'm sure you would never think such thoughts about me," she said, patting his arm as they began to walk, her following alongside the red faced boy, leaning her head sideways a bit to be closer to his as they followed behind Ramarith her gaze on the knight ahead of them, "Don't worry at all, I'll make sure everyone knows that you're a very good boy." she said, her tone quieter again so that only he could hear, though that seemed unintentional, as though she had just spoken softer in a reassuring manner, but somehow mixed into that sweet friendly reassurance was an inexplicable hint of sultriness that did not match the innocent expression on her face, making one question perhaps if they'd imagined it. She seemed to have moments where one might not be certain if they'd truly seen or heard something the way they thought they had, because it just didn't seem like they had. When they got to the training grounds she would not interfere in their work, she'd just wanted to tag along, which considering they were the only two people she knew in this town, didn't seem like it was asking too much honestly, she would assist if they requested it, but she was content enough to sit on the sidelines and observe the two for now.

[Connecto Prease]

< Sir Justin Ramarith >
< O >
< Righteous Phoenix >

Justin forged ahead towards the training grounds which had now come into view, it was a small establishment set a short walk away from the village to make sure that the sounds of fierce training didn't disturb the townsfolk. The building was circular, and looked similar to a miniature arena, with a short corridor leading from the entrance to the main area, which had no roof.

He heard Cyneward speak in his defense, and Enaia's response. His fist was still clenched and it started to tremble lightly. It didn't matter who she was blaming, every battle-ready body in the town had been trained by his hand, and therefore were an extension of him. If she criticised any aspect of the town and it's defenders, she was criticising him. Besides, if what she said was true and she did think of herself as a competent fighter, then surely it was right for his men to focus on the refugees that didn't think of themselves as combat able. There were all sorts who had come here for refuge, no one in particular had any sort of priority, but people had to understand that his forces had been stretched extremely thin at present. He couldn't hold it in any more, he had to say something else.

"We are at war. 'Safe' doesn't exist. People look to us for protection and we do everything we can to provide it. But we are men, not gods, and as such we cannot protect everyone all the time. The remainder of the responsibility falls on you to protect yourself. A vast majority of people here understand that." He gritted his teeth behind his lips and tried to better explain his earlier words. It was unchivalrous of him to get so wound up. He scolded himself as he spoke again, the girl's place in Cyneward's training would be interesting. He doubted the girl would just idly watch. He could either choose to help Cyneward train in the way Ramarith had planned, or defend him. Justin mentally prepared himself to have to spar with two opponents as he gave his explanation.

"I was just trying to say that you need to be more careful. This is likely the safest place in Thelania at the moment, but that doesn't mean it's a sanctuary. Let's hope that your rude awakening will see you be more prepared next time. Consider yourself lucky that you can sleep at all in times such as this."

He finished speaking as they arrived at the entrance to the training grounds. The large wooden door in front of them was held shut by an ornate iron lock. Justin reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out the key. Though both key and lock looked very old, the mechanism turned with little issue, it had been well used in it's time. The doors swung open, and Ramarith led the two through the small entryway. Rows upon rows of weapons training dummies and targets greeted them. The Knight-Captain brushed his fingers along the blade of one of the larger swords before entering the main plaza of the training area, flooded with daylight. Without word or second thought, he gestured for Cyneward to stay put as he walked to the other side, drawing his blade.

"This is going to be far from easy, Cyneward. I intend to have you face the creature inside you that you fear so greatly. You will undergo the same trial I did, with the aim to control the beast within." He held his massive zweihander infront of him, shifting into stance.

"En guarde!"

[Kail Tribal]

- Cyneward Atreus -

- The Last Paladin -

Cyneward gave a quiet nod as Enaia explained her actions towards Sir Ramarith, listening intently as she explained about the library and his large chance of finding the answers he sought. He also found himself intruiged as she spoke of knowing the workings of Strifesworn bodies. "That could be useful, though, I find myself curious as to how you even managed such a feat." he explained to her, before quickly raising a hand with an apologetic expression. "Not that I am suspicious of you at all, I simply imagine it wasn't the easiest of tasks." he told her, hoping to clear up any potential misunderstandings. The topics she had brought up seemed to make him completely forget the embaressment he'd felt earlier, until she reminded him with her assurance that she believed he would never think about her in certain ways. However, as guilty as Cyneward was, that was false, and he made an attempt to let her know. "W-well, n-not exactly, I mean that is to say I sort of..."

However, he trailed off as she spoke softly to him and 'unintentionally' seemed to tease him further, his throat going dry as he froze for a moment, only able to give a faint high-pitched whine. Eventually, he managed to part his lips and speak. "Wh-w...b-but...I-I only m-meant.." he never got a chance to finish his sentence as they finally entered the training grounds, and Cyneward was being spoken to by the older knight, and so paid full attention, unfortunately having no choice but to leave his and Enaia's conversation unfinished. The young man's eyes grew wide, holding obvious uncertainty and fear as the Phoenix Knight spoke of facing the creature within. Of course, he of all people had known just as well as Malith of Cyneward's heritage which he tried so desperately to hide and run from. Taking a step forward he gave Sir Ramarith a determined stare. "I shall face the challenges to come using my own power! I do not require the aid of that demon!" he cried out, though his very words sounded desperate.

He drew his sword and stood in a confident enough stance, but it was the fear within that he attempted not to show that was getting the better of him. The paladin had a feeling that he would get nowhere attempting to fight Weltur using his demonic powers, knowing what that third eye of his did to himself and Divona, but it had been far more effective against the full demon, and so he felt allowing his demonic side to show itself wasn't the best idea when fighting him. However, he knew for certain there would be other enemies down the line who, when fighting against, his demonic powers would aid him greatly. Even he couldn't deny this fact. "Though the blood of those wretched murderers may run through my veins, I will continue to deny my heritage, for it is not who I am!" his emotions were clearly beginning to grow rather unstable, one would hear it in his voice, which was now shaking. "I...am not a demon!!" he shouted before an almost blinding flash of light surrounded the boy, eventually fading to reveal that he had undergone a certain transformation - one that Ramarith would likely recognise immediately. Dark blue horns parted through his platinum blonde hair, his ears were now long, curved, and pointed at the tips, and slight fangs were visibly protruding from his lips.

However, the most notable change he underwent was that the blonde knight gained luminous blue markings which glowed the same vibrant blue that his eyes now did, leaving a faint trail of the colour whenever he moved. The blade of his sword also took on the same glow, an indicator of the power he now held. Though he apparently hadn't seemed to have gained any abilities, it would be obvious that his change had indeed affected more than his appearance the moment he struck at Ramarith. It was also worth noting that Cyneward actually didn't seem to lose control of his actions in any way at all, but due to his lack of using this form and the lack of experience he had wielding it's power, the longer he remained in his demonic form the more it drained his own energy, and would leave him unconscious if used for too long without knowing how to control it properly. What Sir Ramarith would need to teach him would be how to direct his powers correctly - controlling himself was not a problem, Cyneward acted no differently in either of his forms. "If you wish to strike me, then do so! I am ready, I suggest you do the same, and prepare yourself!" as the half-demon spoke, it became apparent that his voice now took on an unearthly echo, his gaze determined and focused upon the Phoenix Knight ahead.

[Connecto Prease]

< Sir Justin Ramarith >
< O >
< Righteous Phoenix >

Ramarith raised an eyebrow when Cyneward stated that he did not need the aid of his demonic lineage to defeat the opponents that were approaching. He shook his head lightly and spoke with aim to correct his training partner.

"Yes, you do. The Strifesworn have access to power far greater than a regular human being could ever hope to muster." He stared back into Cyneward's eyes, taking a fierce step forwards.
"Are you really confident that you can protect those that you care about with only half of your capability. How can you hope to stand up to those who you fear when you fear yourself!?"

He claimed that he was not a demon, but then as if on cue, he transformed. His body taking on and embracing the blood and form of his ancestors. Ramarith smirked lightly and muttered to himself.
"I will finish what you started, old friend."

It was obvious to anyone that the boy in front of him was currently wielding immense power. Immense, and unfocused. Like a fire that was out of control. If Cyneward wasn't careful, such a blaze could burn his body up in moments and he would be rendered useless. The path that Ramarith would have to take was clear to him. Not only did he have to show his young partner that his other self was not one to be feared, but control and moderation were also important factors for this lesson. An idea popped into mind as to how he would go about this. He would have to start by draining the demon of all the energy it could spare initially, but not let Cyneward fall unconscious. This was going to be a trying task for Ramarith, so he had no choice but to borrow from his own extra-human strength.

"You know why they call me the Phoenix Knight, correct?" As he spoke, he searched his mind and started to dredge up old thoughts, feelings and memories. He had to make himself angry, as anger was what fuelled his power. He thought of Cyneward's demon power as fire before as it reminded the knight-captain of when he was younger and going through the same trial, seeing to control a power that he feared. He still hated the Onryou, but at least now he could use it almost as he willed.
He used the regret he felt about not being able to help Feora more than he did, and this started to spark into anger at the Strifeworn, who saw so many innocent people dead. Good people, and for what? What did they have to gain other than morbid pleasure by taking the lives of those who knew not how to defend themselves? Flames ignited in his eyes, and his body started to become enveloped in an orange glow. His focus returned to the demonic Cyneward and he furrowed his brow, the blade of his sword starting to burn as the spirit-fire spread through every inch of his body.
"Do you know what makes these flames?" He didn't expect the boy to know, and instead of waiting for an answer he lunged with speed totally unlike someone would expect from a man in full armour and raised his zweihander as if it weighed nothing.
"Do not talk when you could be attacking. You waste both time and energy. Block or die, Atreus." The blade came down with great speed, the rage inside him wanted to cleave him in two, but his rationality caused him to pull back ever so slightly. If the boy failed to block, his sword would cut but not kill.

[Nightmares_Shadow13]

~Arina the Dancer~

Arina only smiled as Drythe said he didn't want to jump into the performance. "Oh come on love, there's gotta be something you're good at. After all, you made it this far haven't you?" She said in a soft voice before she listened to Djarva who spoke about the gauntlet and that she should be careful. Arina then turned a thoughtful gaze to Catrina and only shook her head. "Don't worry I understand and I have the entire situation under control, even if it doesn't look like it. But we can talk in private in a little bit. We should all get settled first." She said with a small chuckle before she then turned her attention to Divona who had approached them with the offer to stay with her parents. The offer was tempting, but she remembered Cyneward's words and smiled graciously as she shook her head. "Thanks but no thanks. I'm going to be so busy with this party not to mention healing those who truly need it. Besides, I think there are more people who will need that invitation than me." She said with a bright smile before she then stretched a little bit.

Looking around to find a big area, Arina spotted the perfect place where she would get everything ready for the party. She would construct a tent in her own little way, she would need to buy some pillows so everyone to sit on. And then there was the matter of drinks. Maybe she could get some, depending on how much things were in this town, but she might not even have time. The size of the tent that they would need would be enormous and she knew it would take till the sun had just barely faded from the horizon to make this tent. Singing roots and trees to grow and form what you wanted was a lengthy process, but she knew all of this would pay off. Just seeing everyone being able to relax and forget their troubles for a while was enough to bring a smile to the healer's face. She then turned to the dark skinned demon again and smiled at her. "But yes, we will be having a party. I'm going to construct a large tent over there, there will be music, and dancing, and plenty to drink. I know what is weighing on every refugee's mind and I'm going to try and deliver them from the darkness that is eating away at them. What better way to forget about your woes than with a few drinks and a party, hm?" She said in a happy tone as she looked around to try and figure just how big she would need to make the tent.

[Laureli ObsidianFang]

Enaia Laeshunn

Ramarith's words drew the catgirls attention to him and she listened quietly, his words while perhaps sounding a little harsh were honest and came across much better than his earlier attempt had. Giving a smile that could only be described as pleased, though not in any devious manner, but truly satisfied by the knights manner she nodded at him, "Much better spoken, now was that so hard sir knight? You could still do with some work though, your words are still a bit too rough edged." she said with a giggle. This didn't change a whole lot, she disliked the man less, but trust him no more, but that was really only to be expected with her outlook on people, earning her trust would be somewhat of a miracle, but whether anyone would ever discover her secret problems was yet to be known. For now they would all labor under the impression that they commanded her full trust, for she gave no other impression, although she certainly seemed to be taking a better liking to Cyneward than his older companion due to personality. Looking from the knight she continued following behind him alongside the paladin, seeming to be in a rather good mood.

Enaia smiled at Cyneward in her usual sweet innocent manner as he admitted his curiosity about how she had learned about the physiology of the strifesworn, "Well that is for me to know, and for you to perhaps find out." she chuckled, raising her brow a little at his next comment about the subject, "Certainly not, but I've never let difficulty prevent me from anything I desire to learn or acquire." she said, giving a smirk. Beside the young man she'd begun to skip a bit, her hands clasped behind her back in a casual manner while they followed Ramarith, her gaze on their surroundings until the blonde pulled her interest back again, her brow raising once more at his response, he was trying to admit he'd had such thoughts but clearly having difficulty and obviously not wanting to sound bad. She had to suppress her great amusement at his awkward attempt, instead blinking at him in a curious manner, especially as he made his embarrassed whine, inclining her head at him in a perfected innocently curious manner. They had arrived however and so for now their conversation would be put to an end, she didn't mind, she could tease the boy more later on, for now she would relax and watch their training, unless invited into it she would remain out of the way observing, if they needed her to help train against magic she was sure they'd make it known.

While the two men positioned themselves and prepared for their training to begin, giving their exchange of words which she listened to with curiosity, she found herself a place to sit at the outer edge of the little arena where she could be out of their way unless their battling got too crazy and she could watch easily. She was intrigued to learn that Cyneward was apparently a demon, her ears perked and her tail twitching curiously as she watched them from her spot on the ground. The appearance of his demonic features was followed by Ramarith's own changes and Enaia observed the two with great interest as the older man launched an attack at the younger who seemed to be quite displeased with his own nature. This group was doubtlessly going to be much more interesting than she had first imagined upon their meeting, and she was at the present uncertain whether this might be a good or bad thing in the end, on the one hand it made them more fun to learn about, but on the other it also meant that they possessed hidden strengths that she knew nothing about yet which could be turned against her. This was therefor a very good opportunity to get to know more about their abilities, in the event that they turned against her later on for their own benefit she would be best off knowing what she would be up against in order to defend herself and escape.

Two spells sprang to mind which would be useful for this little sparring session of theirs, one of which she almost always had memorized and did right now, the other however would require her book. Removing her necklace she pressed a finger to the circle of runes etched into the tiny grimoire pendant, the silver chain slowly vanishing as it began to transform back into its normal form. It took a few minutes but she flipped it open when it was done, locating the spell that had sprung to her mind, a healing spell which she imagined might come in handy should their practice get a bit out of hand. Using one of the many laces that trailed from the binding of the book she marked the spell for easy access in case she might accidentally close the book and then turned her attention back to the two men, watching intently. The healing spell would likely take a good portion of what spell casting power she had left for the day if they suffered any grievous wounds, but minor injuries would require a lot less of her energies, the other spell she'd thought of which she had memorized was a shielding spell. It was also a rather consuming spell if the shield was struck with a strong attack, but weaker strikes would take less of her 'mana' as it were, it was possible that if she tried to expend too much of her magic, using more than she possessed to stop a horrifically powerful blow or heal too awful a wound, she could end up killing herself, so she had learned long ago to be quite careful with her magic.

[Laureli ObsidianFang]

Divona Arethina
The Chubby Chocolate Southern Loli Demon

Divona gave a somewhat confused little frown but laughed at Drythe's attempted joke, placing her hand on the young man's shoulder and patting it gently, "You just need to relax a little sugar, you look like a long tailed cat in a room full'a rockin' chairs," she chuckled, before frowning a little again, giving his shoulder a soft squeeze "Goodness hun, your shoulders got more knots than my first knittin' project." she said, sounding a bit astounded as she felt how tense the poor man was. "Maybe you should get a massage, take it easy an' all that." she suggested. As he tried to give a reason as to why they shouldn't stay with her she raised her brow a little but gave a friendly smile, giving his shoulder another pat before she released it, "I don't reckon my folks would much care, but if y'all are wantin' some privacy, you're certainly entitled to it." she said before she looked to Arina, listening as she too declined the offer to stay at her house. "Well I'd still like all y'all to come over for dinner tonight," she said, pausing as she considered the party that they were planning to host, "I don't think my ma will be done fixin' it up until around sometime after your little party anyhow, so I think ya should all be free to come. Don't have to if'n ya don't wanna course, but I think it'd be nice for everyone to settle down and have a nice calm meal and get to know each other a little better for one night." she explained with a smile.

When Djarva moved to inspect her, Divona made no motion to stop her, instead standing there with curiosity which turned into amusement, giving a soft laugh at the woman's apparent wonder, "Very real indeed honey," she said, her voice laced with obvious amusement at the unusual greeting. Chuckling more she shook her head, smiling happily, "Not at all dear, I've had plenty'a people marvelin' at how strange I am on my travels. Hm, can't quite place where you're from.." she commented thoughtfully, perfectly comfortable with the woman's somewhat odd behavior, in fact she enjoyed the attention and got amusement out of it for sure. "Lovely to meet ya Djarva, I'm Divona." she said, giving a small curtsy. Curious, she listened to their explanation of the party and what they were planning to do during it, her face lighting up a little at the mention of music, "Well if'n y'all need anyone to sing, I could possibly be some help, have ya got anyone ready to play the music? I know almost everyone who lives here, so I'm sure I can find ya someone if ya need it." she offered with a beaming smile.

[Connecto Prease]

- Drythe Hallover -
- [X] -
- Repentant Catastrophe -

Drythe continued to shake his head as both Djarva and Arina tried to tempt him further into joining them in performance.
"Honestly, I can't think of anything that I'm good for other than fighting. Swordplay would be fine, but I have a tendency to get lost in the moment. I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt anyone." He thought deep inside himself for a moment, what if Arina was right and there was something else that he was good at? It was like she said, there must be. He almost gave himself a headache trying to think of something, but it was cut short by Divona placing her hand on his shoulder, which caused him to flinch. He didn't quite understand what she had said about cats and rocking chairs, so he just laughed nervously, not getting it until it was too late and the moment had passed.

He suddenly looked shocked when she suggested that he get a massage.
"W-What!? I-" That comment caused him to glance around at the company he was currently keeping. It was him, Arina, Catrina, Divona and Djarva. Four women. A cold shiver ran up his spine and he glanced around desperately looking to see if Cyneward was back yet, he knew how to deal with situations like this where Drythe had no clue. His face dropped into a deep red and he took a step back, as if he was moving to escape. He had no idea what else to do.

"D-D-D-Dinner sounds nice..."