Ȋη Țнє Ναмε ϴƒ Υσυя Қιиg (Accepting!)

[Euripides The Exalted]

We are each our own Devil...

And we make this world our Hell!

Damscus couldn't help but smile when the woman leaned in close to him, whispering about all the terrible things that she would do to him, though one of her eyes was staying hidden behind her eye still. "Good, but be careful- you never know what will happen when you enslave too many demons." The Vampire whispered with a growl in his voice, but it wasn't threatening, it was the growl of a beast that enjoyed something. But it was when the woman leaned in and sunk her fangs deep into his flesh that Damascus let out a small gasp, but then a shiver went down his spine and he was quiet again. As the woman drank of his blood he grabbed the back of her head, tangling his fingers up in her hair and pressing her harder into his neck, their bodies pressed together in an embrace that resembled that of two lovers locked together.

When the woman released him, Damascus shivered again, looking with a slightly dazed look at the woman as he watched her lick his blood off of her lips. It had been such a long time since anyone had tasted of his blood, he had forgotten how, good it felt. "It tasted good didn't it?" He said with a sick smile as he ran a finger over his own wounds, bringing it to his lips and tasting of his own blood. He knew of its unique quality, and how it was almost drug like for other vampires- that was part of what happened when you became an Animal. Something inside of you changed physically. When she agreed to hunt with him, Damascus laughed as he felt a surge of energy starting to pulse through him. "Good, because you have given me a gift my sweet by taking my blood. Now you can see my own little trick." There was a sick smile as his face as his body shivered again, but this time it wasn't from pleasure. His body was releasing almost deadly levels of adrenaline and testosterone into his system, and it was actually visually apparent as he seems to get bigger and more, brutish. His shoulders hung low, his head dropped a little, his veins threatened to pop out of his skin and he swayed a little back and forth as he moved.

Laughing again, Damascus cracked his neck before beginning to run, though a few steps into the run he dropped down onto all fours, clawing at the earth and thundering along like a terrible feral bear, teeth barred and eyes wide with desire. The Vampire tore at the ground for a while, never breaking from the full burst of speed or looking back to make sure the woman was following him- he knew she would be. They always followed after tasting of him.

He breathed deeply through his nose, making occasional turns to lead him right toward the scent that was in his nose; the smell of the magic man. Then, in a very sudden change, the beast of a man stood up mid run and grabbed a hold of a low branch, swinging himself upward and into the tree, crouching low before leaping to a different tree, then stopped. He was deathly silent, hardly even breathing as his stared wide eyed at a small path that winded through the forest. At first there was no noise, but then voices could be heard in the distance, chatting. Damascus looked down at Amelia, his eyes wide and a dark smile plastered on his face as his body rippled, his spine arched hard and his claws digging into the bark of the tree. He waited for as long as he could, waiting for his prey to get close enough, then in one great bound he leaped from the tree and landed on the trail, smashing into the earth on all fours, his shoulders up high and his back arched as he starred at the Magic Man and his large female companion. "Well well well, it seems like I found you again didn't I Magic Man? Yes yes I did, and this time I am not alone. No no, you are not the only ones with friends." Damascus said with a psychotic chuckle, tilting his head slightly as he spoke.

The Vampire in the middle of the path looked like some sort of hellish demon- he was down on all fours with his claws making marks in the dirt, his teeth were nearly barred so that his slightly pink fangs were easy to see, his eyes were as wide as saucer plates with a mad look about them, the veins in his neck were looking like they could pop, and a thin line of blood was running down his collar bone where he had gotten bite. The playful killer that the Magic Man had first seen was gone. In his place was the Devil himself.

[Love Butterfly]

Yuka
The Crownless King's Seductress Spy

Yuka to the Rebels
Sakura to the clients

Yuka nodded when Kenneth gave her, her next target. It was just as well, the closer they got to each other the worse it would be. People always turned on you, everyone had the power to do it... She cared for him too much already, if that emotion grew with his help than she would be vulnerable. He could sell her again... Once being a slave she knew how quickly her freedom could be stripped away. "Thank you sir... I'll attend to it at once" she said calmly watching him walk out of the tent. The more distance the better.

Yuka looked down at her soaking kimono and decided the kimono could stay in the water. It would never be clean again, always showing the stains of blood...but she didn't want the kimono... she wouldn't wear it again anyway. So she just walked out of the tent in his shirt not caring that the men could see her legs or her thighs. She passed Kenneth and his soldiers, she watched as she walked him order his men angrily. But she couldn't help but notice they began to ignore his orders and stare at the camp seductress. A few of the younger ones whistling to her as she passed. She stared at Kenneth the whole time wondering if he would lay claim to her as she walked through the camp.

She continued to her tent knowing those who acknowledged her would now be working harder because of their lack of concentration. She entered her tent and quickly searched for client clothes. She was going after a camp for supplies, the damsel in distress usually was the best approach to that. She took out her most worn dress, faded in places, ripped in others and dirty. The dress looked as if it had walked for days. She then grabbed her red scarf outfit planning on wearing it underneath the dress. The red scarves wrapped around her body like a dress but only covering what needed to be covered and barely that.

Without a word Yuka was out of her tent and out of the camp within moments. She would forget all about what had happened the last few days and go back to work. She would find the merchants take their supplies and earn her keep. Easy work.

[Bluntsworth]

On Beating Wings; -- The warmth of the afternoon was betrayed by the interior of his castle, the imposing defenses of the structure seeming to keep even the sun at bay. Fritz had arrived home again the previous night, before the sun had even returned to the sky, riding through the night to return to the relative safety of his home after a mission of 'peace-keeping' for his liege. Now, fully washed and adorning his most comfortable robe he sat in the unique central watch-tower of his keep, it's large circumference near the top purforated by large vertical, thin openings. which lead to the outside.

Sitting silently by himself at a large dark wooded table, he looked down his nose through spectacles placed precariously there as he gingerly held the pigeon between his large, spider-like hands. Every move had a purpose as he attached the small metallic cylinder carefully to the bird's leg, the note he had written earlier already placed within. "There.. There.." His voice was gentle, and the movement of his hands practiced as he momentarily broke his gaze while working, head cocked to the side as eyes swept across the rounded interior, lined from floor to ceiling with small pens, each specially prepared for the pigeon within - his information network.

The soft cooes all around him and the sparesely placed torches around the room were his only means of warmth - but he didn't mind, he was quite at home just there. He finished his work with the bird before bringing it up to eye level, straightening himself out against the high back of the chair, looking at it fondly. "Alright, little one. It's time to follow your brother's and sister's." There was no hesitation as he cast it into the air, watching it silently as it flew through the long vertical gaps in the giant stones.

After it was out of sight Fritz finally eased into the chair, sighing deeply as he had finished that last message - a welcome back to all his allies after his return, omitting from his letter the details of his venture. It was good to be back behind secured walls, but he knew it was not to be long lived, with another ominous cloud looming over-head. This one.. Was different.

[Mein Herz des Goldes]

» I owe you nothing
» I've given everything and more
» I stand for something
» The blood on my hands, the broken bones, I live it

Knife in my back, you can't take it back «
Eye for an eye is cut and dry «
I'll do what I know, reap what I sow «
While you're waiting for me to fail «

» I'm not a voice of reason «
» Never been too big on fate «
» Seeing is believing «
» You run from it all, you stumble and crawl, I hate it «

▂▃▅▆█ Artemis listened intently to Enchanter's continuation of his explanation. That made more sense. At least they weren't running around going 'Hey boy!' or 'Hey girl!' Individual titles were useful when one didn't know their name. Although it was slightly confusing to her that the title could vary based upon peers, but she supposed it would make more sense to someone who had grown up with that. But when he told her that parents in the tower were made to forget a child's name when the child reached adulthood, she frowned a bit. That was unfortunate, to her. To not know one's own child's name... Still, it wasn't her own culture, so while she found it strange and perhaps a little sad, she had always been taught not to judge so harshly. It was a tad bit difficult, but she managed to keep all opinions to herself. He warned her to keep an open mind to things. "I can try that... It may be difficult, but I suppose there is no better way to learn than to be exposed to it, right?" It would be hard to kind of be thrown to the sharks, but even the best training couldn't prepare one totally for a real-life battle. Sparring partners weren't really trying to kill her; an opponent on the battlefield would absolutely want her dead. And speaking of things that wanted her dead...

Out of nowhere, a man leaped out of a nearby tree and smashed into the ground. Artemis couldn't help leaping up a bit when taken by surprise. Out of instinct she dropped her bag, drew her swords and fell into a defensive crouch, ready to fight if she had to, and it looked like that was very likely. The man was down on all fours, speaking to them--or more to Enchanter, really. He chuckled psychotically and was tilting his head as he spoke. That man was definitely not normal. Though she tried to fight displaying it, she was terrified. He looked like a monster. It was as though a nightmare had come to life before her and was blocking her path. His claws were digging heavily into the earth, his eyes were wild and predatory. From the size of his veins, she could see that blood had to be pumping at an incredible rate throughout his body. Blood dripped down his neck from what looked like a bite. He was frightening. To say the least, he looked like he wanted nothing more than to slaughter them.

Artemis had to swallow. What was this man? She had never encountered a vampire before. She knew nothing of their strength, their speed... The very presence of this man made her afraid. All she wanted was to get away from him. But she tried to steel herself and prepare for a battle. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman riding a shadowy beast. The woman had long black hair and skin just as pale as this man's. She didn't look as wild, though there was still a sense of danger. This was probably a more perfect example of her earlier thoughts, of learning best when thrown into the situation, than she could have predicted. Now all she needed to do was try not to be afraid. At least, not openly. █▆▅▃▂


» If I fall, if I fall «
» I'm dragging everybody down «
» If I fall I will take everybody down «

» If I fall «
» [******** you all «
» I'm taking everybody out «
» If I fall I will take everybody down «

XXX

[Mein Herz des Goldes]

▬▬ ▬ ▬ ▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬
That t h o r n y path
xxxxxThose stormy s k i e s
xxHave drawn our s p i r i t s nearer
▬▬ ▬ ▬ ▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬
And r e n d e r e d us
xxBy sorrow's t i e s
Each to the other d e a r e r ♥
▬▬ ▬ ▬ ▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬ ▬

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

☣xxmarlenemorte ▪ ▫ ▪ !
xxxxxI will always love you. . . Only you

Marlene--mounted on the shadow demon--was close behind Damascus. Her train of thought was mainly focused on the fact that she had drunk from a vampire who had allowed himself to become almost feral. And it was how much she'd enjoyed the taste of his blood, and how much she had wanted more of it... Most surely James would scold her... But she couldn't stop herself from thinking about his blood. It was intoxicating. Yet she knew it was wrong. Still... What if giving up control was really that wonderful? What if allowing herself to become that predator wasn't so-- No! She knew she couldn't let herself slip! Not with what she could do... Not if she didn't want to hurt people... It went against everything she knew and believed.

So deep in thought was she that she hardly noticed when her shadow demon came to a grinding halt and almost threw her off. But upon looking up, she knew why. Damascus was in the center of a path and on all fours in front of a pair of travelers. He was saying something about not being the only one with friends. The young woman was already prepared for a fight. She looked too big to be human, but too small to be entirely Giant, either. A half-breed... Marlene could hear the girl's heart racing, and even smell the adrenaline and fear. It was setting something off in her own brain that made resisting an attack... difficult. She ran her tongue over her fangs without really noticing it. Why was she so ready to attack? She had just fed from Damascus.... Had it been his words or his blood that was doing this to her? What was messing with her head in this way?

[EpiXfailure]

The Enchanter:
"Don't worry my dear Artemis. We merely dealing with two rabid animals. No worry to fret. Unfortunately I don't have anything as convenient as a sun flare bomb but we're dealing with a very pitiful species of creatures during the time where they are weakest. Just stay calm and wait for an opening. Unlike animals, we sapient beings can think." The Enchanter said quite flippantly. He would poke one of Artemis's blades with his staff in which runes would be engraved on her sword. It was a temporary enchantment. It glowed with a red rune. He would then move behind Artemis. This wasn't to hide from the enemy, but rather he was shadowing Artemis. This was the best position to support her. It would be difficult to attack Enchanter, although it meant that Artemis would be focused heavily. However, the Enchanter would be able to more easily cast a barrier to support Artemis's blind spots.

"I have not yet had time to fully observe Artemis for a long period of time. Dual wielding broad swords will allow her to fight two people quite well. It also means I should stand slightly further back otherwise I may get slashed by accident. The female vampire hasn't said a word, she doesn't seem the combative type so she may resort to magic. I'll have to fend off any sort of magic attacks and rely on Artemis to confront any physical attacks." Enchanter thought to himself. To properly support someone, Enchanter had to fully understand the person. He needed to know their habits, their personality, their physical traits, and other various facts. Currently he felt he knew 40% of Artemis. Once the fighting began, the Enchanter would learn more about Artemis.

"I will stick close to you and give you cover support. Wait for their first move and counter. I enchanted your blade with a spell. A crude spell but for one swing you can perform a single fire slash. When you want to use it just yell out 'Inferno blade'. In a short amount of time like this I have no time to properly enchant your blade. I won't be able to enchant it within the next hour or so either. I'll enchant your other blade once we figure more out about our crazy opponents here. I'll protect you so just have fun with it." Enchanter said as he would remain light on his toes. To say that this was a 2 vs 2 was a mistake. Enchanter would only be able to give support to Artemis in the fight.

((OOC: Edited due to the fact that even I felt that the last post was rather ridiculous.))

[Love Butterfly]

Yuka
The Crownless King's Seductress Spy

Yuka to the Rebels
Sakura to the clients

Yuka walked through the forest quietly, she was all alone again. She was going back to work like always. But this time it felt different, she didn't want to be leaving the camp. It was safer for her to leave the camp, she could forget about Kenneth and all about the feelings she had for him. Yet she was so lonely.

After walking for a few miles Yuka found a local traveller and compelled him to take her the rest of the way towards the merchant settlement which had all the supplies she was supposed to collect. The ride wasn't a long one, just a few miles in the forest until the traveller dropped her off at the settlement.

Yuka sighed before putting on her client smile before swaying her hips until she found the man in charge of the settlement. She placed her hand on the mans chest quickly grabbing his attention and placed him under her spell. "Hey there, I have been wandering the forest for days... please help me I am so tired and hungry" she whispered twinkling her eyes hoping to make him do as she pleased. "lets go to your tent" she continued allowing him to lead her to his tent.

After a few hours Yuka laid quietly in the mans bed. She was tired, and wanted to go back to camp. She hated doing this... She turned her attention to the man next to her preparing herself to convince him to give her everything the camp had. She turned on her side preparing to put her hands on him, before he grabbed her hands and pressed them against the bed.

"Not again girly... You won't be pulling that power trick again" he grinned pressing her hands harder into the bed. "You must be that whore they all keep talking about. Working for the Crownless King... You won't be doing that to this camp...And just to make sure you don't try to steal from the proper king again, I'll have to teach you a lesson" He said holding her hands with one hand while the other grabbed a knife. "You'll regret this..." he said rising from the bed and throwing her across the tent causing her to crash against his trunks.

[Euripides The Exalted]

We are each our own Devil...

And we make this world our Hell!

The Vampire gazed at the pair before him, and when he locked eyes with the tall girl, he bored his eyes deep into hers and licked his lips, running his tongue over this grotesque fangs. Some of her features like the smoothness of her face, the roundness of her hips and shoulders, the sort of glow she carried mark her as being young; but age didn't matter to Damascus. It never had. "Have you ever been with a man, Brute?" Damascus said to the girl as he took a slow move forward, moving about a foot closer to the duo, staying down on all fours. He chuckled a little, never removing his eyes from the girl, his gaze feeling like the Vampire was staring deep into the darkest reaches of her soul. "Once I kill the Magic Man, I'll spare you; for a time. You look strong, and I hope you would put up a good struggle, even though it will all be futile in the end. Because guess what doll.." Damascus said with a gleam in his eye as he moved another foot closer, the muscles in his shoulders and back rippling from his current style of moving. "..I am strong too."

When Damascus saw the Magic Man move behind the Brute, he couldn't help but to laugh out loud. "Hide behind the Brute. Cowardly, but an intelligent move, oh yes yes it is. Though I implore you to try, in the end you will still die. Come now don't be shy, it's time to say good bye." Damascus said with a laugh, tilting his head back and forth with each rhyming word, as if he were some kind of deranged poet. Now the Vampire was only standing a mere eight feet or so from the pair, the black leather he was clad in hiding him from the rays of the sun, his face cast in shadow from the hood he was wearing.

Slowly, as if painfully, Damascus stood back up onto his two feet. His shoulders hung forward, his back was hunched slightly as if by the weight of his arms, the knots of his spine stuck out prominently down his back, and his wrists were cocked inward some. With his head hanging low with his shoulders, this standing position looked like a bear or cat standing up on its hind legs- there was a sense of unnaturalness about it. As if these demon of a man was more comfortable on all fours like a wild creature, and that unnaturalness gave him a more inhuman feel- as if he was something that didn't belong on this plane of existence.

There was a tense moment where Damascus said nothing, rather just starred into the eyes of the woman who towered over him, never blinking or turning away. It looked very much like a battle against David and Goliath, except it was arguably that other way around; the woman was David and the Vampire was Goliath. Then, without any warning, Damascus jumped forward at the woman. One of his clawed hands was raised above his head and swinging downward, aimed at the weak spot in the girl's armor in the crook of her neck, his other hand was straight like a blade and trusting upward into her unprotected underarm. He had fought armored enemies before, and they were easy to take down if you hit the right spots at the right time.

[Baron_Nashor]

Yorick Bascov

▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄

Yorick, despite the urgency of the situation, chuckled a bit when Gnade told him not to get hurt. Of course she was just worrying about him as was her nature. Yorick, however, wasn't sure any of his men could actually hurt him. He wasn't even sure if any of them would even try to attack him. He was hoping that he was the only one who knew about the orders to kill them. Even so they might have to use the tunnels to escape, "Gnade don't you worry about me. I may be getting old, but I didn't become Captain of the Guard from my good looks." He said trying to reassure her and lighten the situation as best he could.

As he was moving around he began to hear footsteps... Armored footsteps. This couldn't be good. Someone else must've been informed and was coming to check on the progress. With Gnade in his arms his sword and shield were useless to him. He might have to put her down to put up some sort of fight. Hoepfully he could just order the men to stand down and move out of his way. When the footsteps rounded the corner, though, Yorick was shocked by whom he saw at the end of the tunnel.

A yell brought him from his stunned state as he realized it was the half giant Julian and Flara Redhart. She was leading him in chains, what was going on here? Was she to execute the man or was she helping him escape. Whatever the case may be he needed to figure it out quickly without letting Flara know his intentions if she was leading the half-giant to his death, "Lady Flara, I don't know what you are doing with Julian. He is to come with me at once, though. I have found him and Gnade not guilty of murder. I thank you for bringing him this far. I shall be escorting him from here."

He kept his voice even trying to not show emotion or waver in his voice. He was doing his best to play off the direness of the situation. He knew Flara was smart and might be able to pick on his lie. Slowly he moved towards the half giant and began to support Gnade with one arm and reached for his keys with the other, "I'm sorry for your inconvenience Julian. These are troubled times. The death of Benay only adds to the trouble. I'm sure you understand why this was done." Yorick said as he fumbled for the right key.

OOC: Crap post is crap

[Mein Herz des Goldes]

╔══════════════╗
Gnadenlos
╚══════════════╝
❤ஐღ The Heart of Gold ღஐ❤

xxxxxxxxxxStep, Step into the floor
xxxxxxxxShake, Shake on the floor
xxxxxxBounce, Bounce, Bounce, Bounce
xxxxTake, Take it to the floor
xxShake, Shake on the floor
Hide & Seek, Ah 1 2 Step C'mon

When she saw Julian, Gnade's face lit up and despite being held by Yorick, her whole body turned to face her half-Giant friend. "Julian!" she called, glad to see him. But then she noticed the chains around his wrists, and the way that blood was still leaking from between his armor. "You idiot, I told you not to get caught! And you're bleeding, too... Come here, let me see that..." Very delicately, she managed to lower herself out of Yorick's arms and limped over to her friend. She checked the restraints around his wrists, and frowned. Those were way too tight. If she healed those wounds, then they would just be rubbed raw and open and bloody again, and that would defeat the purpose as well as be a waste of her energy. And a healer without energy was no good to anyone. "You'll have to tough it out for a little bit longer... If I heal it now, they'll just be re-opened and I'll end up having wasted energy. I won't be of much help if any of you get hurt and I don't have enough energy to heal all of you." She cast Flara a glance, and there was clear danger in it. If something happened to Julian, there would be Hell to pay. Gnade may not have been very large, but if she had to, she could put even Julian in a world of hurt. If she wrapped around him and pinned his arms to his body, then she could easily hurt or kill him.

But of course, now that she knew he was okay, she couldn't stop herself from all but climbing up his chest and throwing her arms around his neck, promptly planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'm glad you're mostly okay, though... It would have been too much if you'd gotten killed..." Julian was her best friend. If she lost him... Being unable to save a total stranger was hard enough on her as it was, but to be unable to keep her best friend safe would have been the worst thing she could ever imagine.

Step, Step into the floorxxxxxxxxxx
Shake, Shake on the floorxxxxxxxx
Bounce, Bounce, Bounce, Bouncexxxxxx
Take, Take it to the floorxxxx
Shake, Shake on the floorxx
Hide & Seek, Ah 1 2 Step C'mon

[Mein Herz des Goldes]

» I owe you nothing
» I've given everything and more
» I stand for something
» The blood on my hands, the broken bones, I live it

Knife in my back, you can't take it back «
Eye for an eye is cut and dry «
I'll do what I know, reap what I sow «
While you're waiting for me to fail «

» I'm not a voice of reason «
» Never been too big on fate «
» Seeing is believing «
» You run from it all, you stumble and crawl, I hate it «

▂▃▅▆█ Artemis watched as Enchanter ducked behind her, and that was frustrating. "Like Hell am I yelling out any command! I don't need an enchantment on my blade to fight," she growled, holding up one of her blades in front of her. As Damascus moved closer to her, she crouched lower, already prepared to jump at him and swing her blades with impressive force. His question, however, caught her off guard. Was he seriously inquiring about her carnal knowledge of men? "What kind of question is that to ask before a fight? What does that even have to do with anything?" she replied through grit teeth. But she remained in her crouch, ready to fight back. The man wasn't getting much closer, though. He stood several feet away, taunting them with a rhyme and a psychotic tilt of his head. Just the way he stood there... He wasn't natural. That creature couldn't possibly be a natural being! What was he? Their eyes locked, and the moment of complete silence was so thick that she could have easily cut it with her blades. Then, without warning, he lunged at her almost faster than she could catch. Purely out of instinct--and with a good deal of luck--she managed to cross her blades in front of her just in time to reduce some of the damage from the hand aimed at her neck. But it wasn't enough to stop him completely, and his nails still cut her flesh with frightening ease. Blood sprayed from the wound as well as leaked down her neck. She was very lucky that he had just barely missed her jugular or her carotid artery, and that she was only bleeding from a flesh wound. Her underarm was protected by her movement, but his armor had been scratched and pretty badly damaged.

Her eyes were widened in surprise at just how fast he had moved, and how easily he had hurt her. The damage to her armor wasn't exactly light, but it wasn't enough to totally punch through. It was dented, though. Gritting her teeth, she pushed forward, meanwhile slicing them against each other in an attempt to cut him. That was proving difficult, as his sheer muscle mass made him much heavier than she was expecting. She would have begun putting more effort into it, if something didn't suddenly slam into her side hard enough to knock the wind out of her. When she was no longer too stunned to know what she was doing, she became aware of something flicking against the wound on her neck. Her eyes turned up, and she saw the female of the pair was pinning her down and... Was she licking the wound?!

Marlene had been unable to really stop herself from leaping at Artemis at the sight of blood. It was a very alien sensation for her.... Losing control like that... Judging by the taste of the girl's blood, she was just as Damascus had suspected. But Marlene figured that this could probably be an opportunity to save the girl's life. "Whatever you do, do not fight him... He is dangerous, and he will kill you..." she whispered, able to drag herself away from the girl's blood. Artemis wasn't sure what to think of that. This woman was... warning her? "Just trust me on this one..." Marlene lifted her head to look at Enchanter, her red eye focused on him. "Just so you know, that was a rather racist comment. Vampires aren't pitiful, and we're plenty able to think. Some are animals. But many of us are able to think quite well." She stood up, placing her foot on Arty's chest to keep her there. She reached her hand out and her shadow demon bolted out to her, curling around her in a watchdog manner. The deer skeleton slowly emerged from the trees as well, picking up the parasol that Marlene had abandoned upon leaping after Artemis. The skeleton approached her and pressed the parasol into her hand, and rather than putting it up above her head, she let it hang by her side. She had plenty of time to stay out in the sun, having just fed only moments ago from the very monster that had injured Artemis. "And many of us can be more dangerous than you think." █▆▅▃▂


» If I fall, if I fall «
» I'm dragging everybody down «
» If I fall I will take everybody down «

» If I fall «
» [******** you all «
» I'm taking everybody out «
» If I fall I will take everybody down «

XXX

[Knitty Witty]

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

Now revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

King and Protector of the Realm
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c e d r i c XXXXX a l l i s t o rXXXXX t r i l l i a nXXXXX

❝ People have been swinging at me for years, they always seem to miss. ❞

C

His eyes were red, raw, and puffy--all signs indicating that the King had spent all of his night and most of the present day in mourning for his youngest child. His precious little girl, Benay, murdered, and those accused of the crime were those that Cedric had thought closest to him. Julian and Gnade--though the King had always harbored doubts about the Nagi. Perhaps he had been just in those uninviting thoughts. Cedric took a shaky, half hazard breath and stood from his spot besides his daughter's casket. His darling, clever Benay. She looked breathtakingly beautiful in her eternal slumber, but the King could not bring himself to gaze upon her anymore. The Queen, so lost within her own world of grief and loss, never noticed as her husband left the room. Silently, he followed a labyrinth of hallways and stairs, soon finding the descent towards the Dungeons.

Had he not been a just and good King to his people? Had he not attempted to be charitable and merciful to even the most hardened of criminals in his realm? Doubts and heartless thoughts drowned his senses as his steps echoed down the stone stairway. Torches were lit sporadically along the walls in an attempt to confuse whatever prisoners the Crown had claimed. Down here, he was not the Crowned King of Trillian, but the father to a murdered child. Mercy and justice were Kingly actions, and currently Cedric felt anything but.

Hushed, secretive voices were heard down the dimly lit corridor, stoking the King's interest. Then he saw them. The traitors, out of their cells. Julian, Gnade, the sellsword Flara and... Yorick. Yorick? Anger filled His Majesty, and rage clouded his mind. Yorick had been closest to Cedric, almost like a brother--why in the Seven Hells would he be down here, helping them leave? And Flara? What was she doing down here? Unless....

"In the name of your King, you are commanded at once to stay where you are." Cedric bellowed, his voice full of reluctant menace and thunder. "There had been rumors of a rebellion berwing, or am I mistaken Yorick? And here we are, the Prin--no, my beautiful Daughter. My Benay. My precious, sweet baby lies in state above our heads, dead. Her mother throwing herself upon my daughter's coffin, all the while You are helping the two accused of slaying her to escape? So I am sure that you can see why, I as your King, await eagerly for a perfectly logical explanation for all of this"

The king eyed each of the traitors extensively, a bitter sadness pouring out of his gaze. His hand now rested on the hilt of his sword, as if to invite a challenge. Benay's death had Cedric feeling wreckless. If these rumors of rebellion rang true, who was to say that it hadn't been brewing for years? And what's more, who was to say that the four before the King now hadn't planned this from the start?

"Tell me now. If you all claim innocence, why escape? Does that not look guilty to your ethics? Your morals?" The King cried out, tears flowing from his face once more as he pulled loose his sword, "And you, Yorick. Are you honestly defying the King's command by leading them AWAY from the gallows?" He shouted, the pain of losing a child masking his otherwise child like demeanor.

[Euripides The Exalted]

xxx The Crownless King
xxx Abidan Taligan

Either join me or move aside if you value your life,
You will not stand in my way.

______________________________________________________________________

The Crownless King sat silently when Amelia brought up the prospect of children, the main reason he was to take her as his bride. "Yes, that will be nice. And I will train them in the ways to rule the Kingdom, thus starting a chain of Kings that will rule for many generations." Abidan said before taking a drink of the water, draining it and setting the glass aside.

And then it came out, the real reason Amelia had come up here. She wanted to make up, to make things right again, to attempt to start over. She spoke of how he was last night, and something inside of the Drow tightened. "The man you laid with last night is weak- he allows his emotions to sway his thoughts, he is not fit to rule a nation. No, that man was vulnerable and weak; two things I cannot afford to be." The Crownless King said, though there wasn't as much venom in his words as normal- just coldness. That eternal coldness.

But what came next shocked Abidan; Amelia wanted to have a spell placed on her so that she would forget almost everything that had happened up to this point. The dedication surprised him, or was it the sheer will to live happily? "Those are... desperate and dangerous measures." Abidan said slowly, a moment of confusion flashing across his face. She wants to be happy, she is trying to make the best out of the situation that has been thrust upon her instead of resisting and fighting it. The thought touched him, and for the briefest of moments Abidan Taligan returned, a gentle smile playing across his features. But then the King remembered the pain, and soon the smile faded once again, leaving only the Crownless King. "Yes, I shall want to discuss with him the implications of this and what it would do exactly. Very well, I will permit this meeting tonight." The King finally agreed, slowly getting up off of the grass and standing in the shade of the tree, lifting Amelia to her feet.
x
x
x

[EpiXfailure]

Flara Redhart:
What sane man assumes that they were escaping. Flara looked at the king with eyes of pity. He was too kind of a man to rule. One who assumed the good of his fellows and had a child like naivety.

"What happened to the law my liege? Innocent before proven guilty? You don't have proof that we are helping these two escape, nor do you have the necessary proof that these two are responsible for your daughter's death." Flara asked with her fiery eyes looking at the king. She didn't know what was really the right thing to do. This was the king, and while the Redhart family was defecting, it didn't mean that they wanted to directly kill the king.

"My liege, if you cry for your own daughter's death but not cry for the deaths of the people that die outside your walls every day then what kind of leader are you. I admit, I came here to see if I could gain recruits for the Redhart army. The army that has protected these lands for generations, the people trust the Redharts. Please, give up the crown. Give the crown to my father. Tell your people to run to Redhart lands. My father has made his announcement and is due to reach Trillian any day. Be protected under the Redhart banner, or let it watch you die." Flara said to the king. She wasn't really good at lying. The best thing to do was to ask the Trillian king to surrender himself to the Redharts. It wasn't as if they would kill him.